According to Ivanhoe Mines: Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN; OTCQX: IVPAF) announced on June 3 that following the suspension of underground mining operations at the Kakula Mine on May 20, 2025, senior management continues to work closely with a team of world-class geotechnical experts to safely and prudently resume mining operations.
(Image courtesy of Ivanhoe Mines)
The engineering team at Kamoa Copper is updating the short-, medium-, and long-term plans for resuming operations in the eastern and western sections of the Kakula Mine.Underground mining operations in the western section of the Kakula Mine are expected to resume in late June, subject to the progress of dewatering efforts. The western section of the Kakula Mine was not flooded and has a dewatering capacity of 1,000 litres per second.
It is anticipated that operations in the eastern section of the Kakula Mine will resume after the completion of dewatering efforts. Kamoa Copper has implemented a phased approach to dewater the entire Kakula Mine:
Phase 1: Install temporary dewatering equipment underground to maintain the current water level.Phase 1 was completed today, increasing the total dewatering capacity to approximately 4,400 litres per second, which is sufficient to manage the inflow of groundwater.
Phase 2: Install large power pumps and a permanent dewatering system that can be operated from the surface to conduct comprehensive dewatering operations across the entire Kakula Mine.Phase 2 has already commenced. Kamoa Copper has ordered four large power dewatering units, each with a dewatering capacity of 650 litres per second. Additional dewatering units will be ordered under the long-term infrastructure plan, which will be deployed in pairs and installed in existing ventilation shafts that extend deep into the catchment area of the Kakula Mine. The surface dewatering system is expected to be delivered and installed within 90 days.
Meanwhile, the Phase 1 and Phase 2 beneficiation plants continue to operate at approximately 50% of their combined capacity, processing ore from surface stockpiles.Once underground operations resume, ore from the western section of the Kakula Mine will be processed immediately.
Since mining commenced at the Kakula Mine in 2021, the mining team has completed more than 18 months of development ahead of schedule compared to the mining plan. This excess development has provided the underground mining team with significant flexibility to re-enter multiple mining areas once environmental safety is confirmed.
Mining activities at the Kamoa underground mine and the adjacent Phase 3 beneficiation plant continue to operate normally and have not been affected.
Ivanhoe Mines will announce the production resumption plan for the western section of the Kakula Mine and the restart plan for the eastern section next week.
Senior management of the Ivanhoe Mines and Kamoa Copper joint venture is working closely with a team of world-class geotechnical experts to conduct a comprehensive and prudent geotechnical evaluation of the Kakula Mine. It is expected to announce the evaluation results and the restart plan for the western and eastern zones of the Kakula mine next week.
