mine · Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kamoa-Kakula
The highest-grade major copper mine in the world, powered largely by hydroelectricity.
Earthern Project Score
87 / 100
Resource, economics and jurisdiction
- Resource
- Very high-grade sediment-hosted copper mineralisation.
- Production
- Ramping toward 600 kt of copper annually with a new on-site smelter.
- Economics
- Exceptional grade offsets jurisdictional and logistics costs.
- Infrastructure
- On-site smelter, hydro power supply and rail connection under development.
- Jurisdiction
- High risk
- Ownership
- Ivanhoe 39.6%, Zijin 39.6%, DRC State 20%
- Region
- Lualaba
What this asset is
The highest-grade major copper mine in the world, powered largely by hydroelectricity.
Earthern Project Score 87
Version v0.1
- Resource Quality
- 85 (weight 1.2) — Grade, continuity and metallurgical complexity of the resource.
- Project Scale
- 90 (weight 1) — Annual output potential relative to the global market for its primary mineral.
- Development Stage
- 93 (weight 0.9) — How far the asset has advanced toward or through production.
- Jurisdiction
- 94 (weight 1.1) — Political stability, permitting predictability and rule of law.
- Infrastructure
- 86 (weight 0.9) — Access to power, water, transport and processing capacity.
- Economics
- 92 (weight 1.2) — Cost position and margin resilience through the price cycle.
- Strategic Importance
- 97 (weight 1) — Relevance to national critical mineral strategies and allied supply chains.
- Supply-Chain Value
- 91 (weight 1) — Whether the asset relieves a genuine downstream bottleneck.
- Sustainability
- 81 (weight 0.9) — Carbon intensity, water use, tailings approach and community standing.
- Execution Risk
- 87 (weight 1) — Technical, financing and schedule risk to reaching nameplate output. Higher is lower risk.
Minerals produced
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