“The company will now look to further increase production at our Kamoa-Kakula copper joint-venture, and to accelerate the Phase 3 concentrator expansion from 7.6 million tonnes per annum to 11.4 million tonnes per annum,” co-chairman Robert Friedland said in a media statement. “Together with our partner Zijin Mining, we have already accelerated the Phase 2 expansion to begin production in Q3 2022 and bring copper production to approximately 400,000 tonnes, or approximately 880 million pounds, per year.”
Ivanhoe wants to accelerate the Phase 3 concentrator expansion from 7.6 million tonnes per annum to 11.4 million tonnes per annum
Friedland said that the Phase 3 expansion would bring copper production at Kamoa-Kakula up to approximately 530,000 tonnes, or approximately 1.2 billion pounds per year.
“Our company is about to make the long-fought transition from an explorer and developer to becoming a major diversified mining company,” the executive said. “It has been a remarkable journey for Kamoa-Kakula and Platreef; to grow from grassroots discoveries to imminently joining the ranks of the world’s largest producers of copper, platinum-group metals and nickel.”
At present, Kamoa-Kakula’s Phase 1, 3.8-Mtpa concentrator is nearing completion, with the civil works for the second 3.8-Mtpa concentrator (Phase 2) advancing rapidly. At the same time, the second stage commissioning of the Phase 1 ball mills and the concrete foundations for the second set of ball mills for the Phase 2 concentrator are underway.
Kamoa-Kakula has been independently ranked as the world’s fourth-largest copper deposit by Wood Mackenzie. Its updated resource estimate shows that it holds 1.4 billion indicated tonnes grading 2.74% copper for 83.7 billion pounds of copper and another 339 million inferred tonnes grading 1.68% copper for 12.5 billion pounds of copper at a 1% cut-off grade.
According to Friedland, as infrastructure projects are being completed on the property, the recently obtained funding will also be used to expand and accelerate a copper exploration program on the company’s Western Foreland exploration licences, located in close proximity to the Kamoa-Kakula mining licence.
