The Key Minerals of the African Continent: In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the world's highest-grade copper mine is facing production testing during the recovery phase
Ivanhoe Mines' flagship project, the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (with shares held by Chinese company Zijin - editor's note), produced 71,266 tons of copper in the third quarter of 2025. This marks the third consecutive quarter of declining production following the company's ongoing recovery efforts and maintaining its annual production guidance. The third-quarter production brought the total output for the year to 316,393 tons, with the operational goal steadily advancing toward the unchanged annual target of 370,000 to 420,000 tons of copper. During this quarter, the first, second, and third processing plants processed a total of 3.46 million tons of ore, indicating that despite operational challenges, the processing capacity remained fully operational.
The company stated in its quarterly update report that "the recovery work is progressing smoothly." Founder Robert Friedland confirmed that operations at the Kamoa-Kakula mine are proceeding as planned and are expected to return to previous copper production levels. The operational challenges faced by the Kamoa-Kakula mine were offset by record performance from Ivanhoe Mines' Kipushi zinc mine - which produced between 52,700 and 57,200 tons of zinc in this quarter. This dual-mine strategy provides stability to the asset portfolio: the Kipushi processing plant processed 168,862 tons of ore with an average grade of 37.8%, contributing to the year-to-date zinc production of 137,224 tons.
The operational recovery required at the Kamoa-Kakula mine contrasts sharply with the record performance of the Kipushi mine, highlighting the strategic value of Ivanhoe Mines' diversified commodity portfolio. Although copper production faces temporary challenges, the zinc business continues to exceed expectations, with the full-year zinc production guidance maintained within the range of 180,000 to 240,000 tons. As the world's highest-grade large copper mine, the production fluctuations at Kamoa-Kakula have significant implications for the global copper market. With its high average grade and significant cost advantages, this mine has become an indispensable source of copper supply in the critical link of the energy transition.
The company emphasized that "recovery work is progressing smoothly," indicating that the decline in third-quarter production is a temporary operational challenge rather than a structural issue. Despite the fluctuation in quarterly performance, the maintenance of the annual guidance still confirms this assessment. In addition to production metrics, the Kamoa-Kakula copper mine maintains a competitive advantage through sustainable operations. The mine uses clean, renewable hydroelectric power as its energy source, making it one of the lowest carbon-emission large copper mines in the world.
With a quarter of 2025 remaining, Ivanhoe Mines faces the task of proving that the recovery work at Kamoa-Kakula can deliver the required production levels to achieve the lower end of its annual guidance range, while the strong performance of Kipushi will provide operational and financial stability during the copper recovery phase.
Editor's Note: The Kamoa-Kakula copper mine project is jointly owned by operator Ivanhoe Mines (39.6%), Zijin Mining (39.6%), the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (20%), and Crystal River Global (0.8%).
Source: ecofinagency
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1845428102029322/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.