Ivanhoe Mines Unveils Kamoa-Kakula Copper Production Targets & Progress Updates

Published: Dec 3, 2025 20:57

Save

According to an announcement by Ivanhoe Mines, the Kamoa-Kakula project aims to achieve copper production of 380,000 to 420,000 tonnes in 2026 and 500,000 to 540,000 tonnes in 2027, with the medium-term copper production target maintained at 550,000 tonnes. In terms of recent progress, the dewatering efforts at the Kakula mine are proceeding smoothly (70% completion on the west side and 60% on the east side), laying the groundwork for resuming production. As dewatering advances, mining in the higher-grade (3.5%–4.0%) central area will commence in mid-December, which is expected to drive overall output and profitability. At the Kakula mine, approximately 6 million tonnes of ore are planned to be mined in 2026, primarily from the west side, with production increasing to 7–8 million tonnes in 2027. At the Kamoa mine, the focus will shift from supplying primarily the Phase I and II concentrators to prioritizing supply for the Phase III concentrator, while also supplementing Phase I and II. Mining output is expected to rise from the current 6.5 million tonnes per year to over 10 million tonnes per year by 2027. The total processing capacity of the Phase I, II, and III concentrators will reach 17 million tonnes per year starting in 2027. Additionally, following the announcement of the commissioning of the Kamoa-Kakula copper smelter on December 1, 2025, copper sales in 2026 are projected to exceed copper production, as on-site inventories of unsold copper concentrate are expected

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

18 mins ago

Copper Prices Fell Overnight as Bulls Reduced Positions; High Copper Prices Suppressed Demand with Spot Discounts Continuing [SMM Copper Morning Meeting Minutes]

SMM Morning Meeting Summary: Overnight, LME copper opened at $13,948.5/mt, touched a high of $13,952/mt early in the session, then the copper price center moved downward throughout the session, touching a low of $13,785/mt near the close, and finally settled at $13,785.5/mt, down 1.42%, with trading volume at 21,000 lots and open interest at 272,000 lots, a decrease of 370 lots from the previous trading day, mainly reflecting bulls reducing positions. Overnight, the most-traded SHFE copper 2607 contract opened at 106,360 yuan/mt, touched a high of 106,540 yuan/mt right at the open, then the copper price center fluctuated downward, touching a low of 105,730 yuan/mt near the close, and finally settled at 105,860 yuan/mt, down 0.49%, with trading volume at 38,000 lots and open interest at 185,000 lots, a decrease of 3,142 lots from the previous trading day, reflecting bulls reducing positions.

18 mins ago

15 hours ago

Tariffs and Geopolitical Factors Boosted BC Copper Higher, Shanghai BC Copper Inverted Price Spread Narrowed Slightly [SMM BC Copper Commentary]

15 hours ago

17 hours ago

Data: SHFE, DCE market movement (Jun 03)

The following table shows the ferrous and nonferrous metals movement on the SHFE and DCE on 03 Jun , 2026

17 hours ago