# Kamoa-Kakula copper complex by Ivanhoe Mines

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/materials/kamoa-kakula
Frontier: [Materials](https://technooptimist.io/materials.md) · Field: Copper & strategic metals · Company: [Ivanhoe Mines](https://technooptimist.io/companies/ivanhoe-mines.md)
Stage: Scaling (5 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling)
Updated: last update 2026-07-29, facts checked 2026-10-11
Goal: Supply a large share of the new copper that grids, EVs and data centres need from an unusually rich deposit, and refine it on site so each truck carries 99.7% copper instead of 45% concentrate.
Status: Smelter at ~60% of 500 kt/yr; 2026 guidance cut to 290-310 kt after flooding at Kakula in 2025.
Next milestone: 60 MW on-site solar and battery baseload, target Q3 2026

## Milestones

| Status | Milestone | Date | Slip |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Done | Phase 3 concentrator produces first concentrate | Jun 2024 |   |
| Done | Seismic event floods eastern Kakula; mining halted | May 2025 |   |
| Done | Mining restarts on Kakula's western side | Jun 2025 |   |
| Done | First copper anodes from on-site smelter | Dec 2025 |   |
| Current | 60 MW on-site solar and battery baseload | Q3 2026 |   |
| Planned | Kakula stoping resumes | 2027 |   |
| Planned | Smelter at full 500 kt/yr capacity | 2028 |   |
| Planned | Copper output above 500,000 t/yr | 2028 | +12 mo (originally 2027) |

## Upcoming events

- **Q3 2026**: 60 MW on-site solar and battery baseload
- **2027**: Kakula stoping resumes
- **Q1 2027**: Updated Kamoa-Kakula production guidance for 2027
- **2028**: Smelter at full 500 kt/yr capacity
- **2028**: Copper output above 500,000 t/yr (slipped 12 mo)

## Most important updates

- **29 Jul 2026**: Ivanhoe tightens 2026 Kamoa-Kakula guidance to 290,000-310,000 t; smelter at about 60% capacity. Kamoa-Kakula produced 64,328 tonnes of copper in the second quarter of 2026 and Ivanhoe narrowed full-year guidance to 290,000-310,000 tonnes, far below the 380,000-420,000 tonnes guided in December 2025. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/ivanhoe-tightens-2026-kamoa-kakula-guidance-to-290-000-310-000-t-8c2954cf.md) · [original source](https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/307108/))
- **5 Jan 2026**: Kamoa-Kakula smelter, Africa's largest, produces its first copper anodes. The US$1.1 billion direct-to-blister smelter produced its first 99.7%-pure copper anodes about five weeks after heat-up and one week after first concentrate feed. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/kamoa-kakula-smelter-africa-s-largest-produces-its-first-copper-anodes-ee3e8133.md) · [original source](https://africanreview.com/mining/kamoa-kakula-smelter-produces-first-copper-anodes))
- **3 Dec 2025**: Ivanhoe sets 2026-27 Kamoa-Kakula guidance as dewatering advances and the smelter starts up. Ivanhoe guided 380,000-420,000 tonnes of copper for 2026 and 500,000-540,000 tonnes for 2027, keeping a medium-term target of about 550,000 tonnes a year. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/ivanhoe-sets-2026-27-kamoa-kakula-guidance-as-dewatering-advances-and-01364c5e.md) · [original source](https://www.ivanhoemines.com/news-stories/news-release/ivanhoe-mines-announces-kamoa-kakula-copper-production-guidance-for-2026-and-2027-as-recovery-plan-advances))
- **11 Jun 2025**: Ivanhoe cuts 2025 Kamoa-Kakula guidance by 28% and withdraws 2026 target after seismic event floods Kakula. After a seismic event in May 2025 suspended mining at Kakula, Ivanhoe cut its 2025 forecast to 370,000-420,000 tonnes of copper from 520,000-580,000 tonnes and withdrew its 2026 target of about 600,000 tonnes. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/ivanhoe-cuts-2025-kamoa-kakula-guidance-by-28-and-withdraws-2026-target-cf44b11b.md) · [original source](https://www.ecofinagency.com/news/1206-47243-drc-s-kamoa-kakula-copper-production-to-drop-amid-seismic-setback))

## Current obstacles

- **Water and rock stress at Kakula**: The May 2025 event was traced to ore yielding and stress shifting onto pillars; new dewatering is needed before new areas can be mined.
- **Smelter ramp-up**: The smelter has run at about 60% of capacity since February 2026 and is not expected to reach full rate until 2028.

## Physics limits

- **Deep mining moves stress onto what is left**: Each tonne removed underground shifts load onto the remaining rock pillars; past a point they yield, which can cause seismic events and let water flood the workings.
- **Copper smelting makes acid by the tonne**: Smelting sulphide concentrate turns its sulphur into sulphuric acid: at design rate this smelter makes about 700 kt of acid a year beside 500 kt of copper, and the acid must find buyers.

## How it works

### Mines: Underground high-grade ore

The Kakula and Kamoa underground mines extract copper sulphide ore grading well above 2% copper; Kakula head grades topped 3.1% in mid-2026.

### Concentrators: Grind and float

Three concentrator phases (about 17 Mt/yr from 2027) grind ore and float copper minerals into a concentrate.

### Smelter: Direct-to-blister

Concentrate is melted and its sulphur burned off in one furnace step, giving 99.7% copper anodes; the sulphur is captured as sulphuric acid and sold.

### Power: Grid plus on-site backup

A 60 MW solar plant with batteries, a 60 MW uninterruptible supply and 180 MW of diesel backup protect the smelter from grid outages.

## Spec sheet

| Spec | Kamoa-Kakula copper complex | Provenance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 copper guidance | 290,000-310,000 t | reported |
| 2027 copper guidance | 380,000-420,000 t | reported |
| 2024 copper production | 437,061 t | reported |
| Smelter capacity | 500,000 t/yr anode | reported |
| Anode purity | 99.7% copper | reported |
| Ore grade (Q2 2026) | 2.39% copper | reported |
| Concentrator recovery (Q2 2026) | 87.4% | reported |
| C1 cash cost (Q2 2026) | US$2.84/lb | reported |
| Sulphuric acid design rate | ~700,000 t/yr | reported |
| Smelter investment | US$1.1 billion | reported |

Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure.

## About Ivanhoe Mines

Vancouver-based miner developing large African deposits: the Kamoa-Kakula copper complex in the DR Congo with Zijin Mining, the Platreef platinum-group project in South Africa and the Kipushi zinc mine.

- Kamoa-Kakula's on-site smelter, Africa's largest, made its first 99.7% copper anodes in December 2025.
- A May 2025 seismic event flooded part of the Kakula mine; 2026 guidance is 290-310 kt of copper.
- Targets more than 500,000 t/yr of copper from 2028.

- Headquarters: CA
- Status: public
- Website: https://www.ivanhoemines.com
- Partners, customers, investors: Zijin Mining (partner); Government of the DR Congo (partner)

Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/ivanhoe-mines.md

## Related programs

Everything in Materials: https://technooptimist.io/materials.md

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