African Continent's Key Minerals: Democratic Republic of the Congo: Chinese company Zijin and Canadian companies jointly own the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Mine, which will receive 50 megawatts of power from the Inga II project in November
¬ Starting in November, the Kamoa-Kakula Hydropower Station will receive 50 megawatts of power from the Inga II Dam
¬ With the progress of grid upgrades, a total of 178 megawatts will be fully launched by 2027
¬ By mid-2027, the grid will achieve energy independence through hydropower and solar energy
Ivanhoe Mines announced that its Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex will start receiving 50 megawatts (MW) of electricity from the Inga II Hydropower Station in November. This information was disclosed in the third-quarter 2025 financial report released on October 29.
The electricity will be supplied by the No. 5 turbine of the Inga II, which has a capacity of 178 megawatts. Since 2022, the group's subsidiary Ivanhoe Mines Energy has been continuously modernizing this unit to enhance the power supply capacity for the copper smelting plant. The power delivery will be implemented in stages: starting with 50 megawatts in November, increasing to 100 megawatts in the first quarter of 2026, and finally reaching 150 megawatts by the first half of 2027, in sync with the grid upgrade project.
Ivanhoe Mines announced that the mechanical and electrical system renovation of the turbine was completed in the third quarter of 2025, marking an important advancement in the group's energy investment plan. As the power supply network continues to be upgraded, the mine area will gradually restore power, focusing on the renovation of the Inga (SCI) and Kolwezi (SCK) substations. This upgrade includes the installation of key equipment such as resistors, harmonic filters, and static compensators, aiming to stabilize voltage and improve the quality of power supply in the Kamoa-Kakula area.
The modernization and stabilization plan for the Congolese grid started at the end of 2024, supported by a $200 million financing provided by Ivanhoe Mines and its major shareholder Zijin Mining.
It is expected that from 2027, the Kamoa-Kakula will achieve self-sufficiency in electricity, no longer relying on imports from Zambia and Mozambique. This goal will be achieved by integrating the Inga II Power Plant with two solar power plants under construction. These two plants are developed by the Congolese cross-border energy company and SARL Green World Energy, each providing 30 megawatts of power to the region.
The report indicates that these two solar projects are progressing ahead of schedule, with completion rates of 42% and 46% respectively. Commercial operation is expected to start in the second quarter of 2026, slightly earlier than the original target date of late July. Ivanhoe Mines revealed that the first batch of long-term equipment, including battery energy storage systems, inverters, and mounting structures, has already arrived on site and has been unloaded.
Source: ecofinagency
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847951148129344/
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