mine · Democratic Republic of the Congo

Kamoa-Kakula

The highest-grade major copper mine in the world, powered largely by hydroelectricity.

OperatingExpansionProject score 87

Operator

Ivanhoe Mines

Country

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mine life

37 yrs

Capex

—

Profile

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

Overview

The highest-grade major copper mine in the world, powered largely by hydroelectricity.

Methodology

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.

Materials

Copper is the primary conductor of the electrified economy, used wherever electricity or heat must move efficiently.

Assets

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