mine · Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mutanda

A very large copper-cobalt operation whose output decisions move the global cobalt market.

OperatingProductionProject score 69
Operator
Glencore
Country
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mine life
20 yrs
Capex
—
Profile

Resource, economics and jurisdiction

Resource
Large oxide copper-cobalt resource.
Production
Restarted output making it one of the largest cobalt sources globally.
Economics
Swing producer economics; output responds directly to cobalt prices.
Infrastructure
Integrated processing with regional power supply constraints.
Jurisdiction
High risk
Ownership
Glencore 100%
Region
Lualaba
Overview

What this asset is

A very large copper-cobalt operation whose output decisions move the global cobalt market.

Methodology

Earthern Project Score 69

Version v0.1

Resource Quality
67 (weight 1.2) — Grade, continuity and metallurgical complexity of the resource.
Project Scale
74 (weight 1) — Annual output potential relative to the global market for its primary mineral.
Development Stage
75 (weight 0.9) — How far the asset has advanced toward or through production.
Jurisdiction
68 (weight 1.1) — Political stability, permitting predictability and rule of law.
Infrastructure
71 (weight 0.9) — Access to power, water, transport and processing capacity.
Economics
64 (weight 1.2) — Cost position and margin resilience through the price cycle.
Strategic Importance
70 (weight 1) — Relevance to national critical mineral strategies and allied supply chains.
Supply-Chain Value
71 (weight 1) — Whether the asset relieves a genuine downstream bottleneck.
Sustainability
69 (weight 0.9) — Carbon intensity, water use, tailings approach and community standing.
Execution Risk
62 (weight 1) — Technical, financing and schedule risk to reaching nameplate output. Higher is lower risk.
Materials

Minerals produced

Base Metals

Copper

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

Battery Minerals

Cobalt

A cathode stabiliser that improves battery energy density and cycle life, produced mostly as a copper by-product.

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