Ivanhoe Mines announce successful start-up of Kamoa-Kakula low-carbon smelter

Ivanhoe mines has informed about the successful start-up of the project’s 500,000-tonnes-per-annum direct-to-blister copper smelter,a facility designed to set new global benchmarks in efficient, low-carbon copper production.

Opening ceremony

The day began with a traditional blessing led by the Chief of the local communities, symbolizing the partnership and respect that underpin Kamoa-Kakula’s long-term presence in the Lualaba Province. The flame from a ceremonial lwanzo lwa mikuba furnace was carried to the smelter and used to ignite its first heat-up, a moment rich in both symbolism and industrial significance.

Major milestone

Ivanhoe Mines’ Founder and Executive Co-Chairman Robert Friedland reflected on the importance of the moment during the opening ceremony:

“The ceremony today is not just a ritual; it is the passing of a torch representing transformative change at Kamoa-Kakula… From a site where we first discovered high-grade copper in 2008, we now harness a fire blessed by tradition to power a facility that will set a new global standard for copper smelting.

“We are witnessing a significant milestone for Kamoa-Kakula, the Lualaba Province and the broader Congolese mining industry… we have taken a major step forward in the production of clean, sustainable copper in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

His remarks underscore the smelter’s strategic role in building a vertically integrated, lower-emission copper supply chain, one capable of delivering responsibly sourced metals essential for the global energy transition.

Kamoa-Kakula’s Managing Director Annebel Oosthuizen highlighted the human effort behind the engineering:

“This day belongs to every Kamoa Copper employee. You built this… We fired it up…. This is our collective success. The fire we lit today is the light that will change the future, not just for Kamoa Copper, but for our community, our country, and the African continent.”

Building the region’s most advanced copper smelting capability

With heat-up now underway, the smelter, designed for direct-to-blister processing, will soon begin receiving its first concentrate feed before year-end. Key capabilities include:

• 500,000 tpa production capacity, enabling Kamoa-Kakula to process the majority of its own concentrates on-site.
• A planned reduction of unsold copper-in-concentrate inventories from ~37,000 tonnes to ~17,000 tonnes during 2026 as the smelter ramps up.
• Significant grid-stability safeguards, including a 60 MW uninterruptible power supply and ~180 MW of on-site backup generation, enabling continuous operations and protecting the furnace from voltage fluctuations.
• High-efficiency steam systems, an advanced acid circuit, and on-site drying infrastructure, all engineered to support low-emission, energy-efficient copper production.

The furnace has already reached 800°C, where it will remain for several days as commissioning advances across the boiler, steam systems, electrodes, and acid circuit.

Sustainability at the Core

The smelter is a cornerstone in Kamoa-Kakula’s strategy to be one of the world’s most sustainable major copper producers. By bringing smelting on-site:

• Long-distance concentrate transport is minimized, reducing CO₂ emissions.
• Energy-efficient smelting integrated with waste-heat recovery reduces overall environmental impact.
• Higher-value finished products can be produced directly in the DRC, supporting local economic development.

This combination of technical excellence, cultural respect, and sustainability-focused design positions Kamoa-Kakula as a flagship example of modern responsible mining in Africa.