Ivanhoe Mines is delighted to announce that start-up of Kamoa-Kakula’s 500,000-tonnes-per-annum direct-to-blister copper smelter commenced on 21 November 2025. The event was marked by a traditional blessing by the Chief of Kamoa-Kakula’s local communities, as well as an opening ceremony at the smelter site.
Ivanhoe Mines’ Founder and Executive Co-Chairman Robert Friedland commented 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.”
Kamoa-Kakula’s Managing Director, Annebel Oosthuizen, also commented during the opening ceremony:
“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.”
Smelter heat-up underway following traditional blessing by Chief of local communities, as well as an opening ceremony at smelter site
On 21 November 2025, the opening ceremony of Kamoa-Kakula’s copper smelter started at a traditional copper furnace, called a lwanzo lwa mikuba, at a site near the smelter. The lwanzo lwa mikuba was prepared by the Chief of Land Muvunda and his team, as per the tradition, and Honourable Chief Musokantanda Sabuni Kafweku provided a blessing while commemorative Katanga Crosses of copper were smelted.
Chief Musokantanda then took the flame from the lwanzo lwa mikuba and carried it from the traditional site to the smelter at Kamoa-Kakula. At the smelter, the flame was handed over to Ivanhoe Mines’ Founder and Co-Chairman, Robert Friedland, who lit a ceremonial torch. The ceremonial torch was then passed around to members of the senior management team from Ivanhoe Mines and Kamoa Copper, as well as team members instrumental in the smelter’s construction, before being placed inside the smelter furnace, providing the ignition source for its heat-up.
First feed of Kamoa-Kakula concentrate expected by year end
The first feed of concentrate into the smelter is expected by year end. Kamoa-Kakula’s management team expects to prioritise the processing of concentrates produced by the Phase 1, 2, and 3 concentrators through the on-site smelter, with any excess concentrate toll-treated at the nearby Lualaba Copper Smelter (LCS) in Kolwezi.
Prior to start-up, Kamoa-Kakula’s on-site concentrate inventory contained approximately 37,000 tonnes of copper. Total unsold copper in concentrate at the smelter, held in stockpiles and the smelting circuit, is expected to be reduced to approximately 17,000 tonnes during 2026 as the smelter fully ramps up.
The smelter heat-up commenced as the installation of the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) facility nears completion. The 60-megawatt (MW) UPS is designed to provide up to two hours of instantaneous back-up power to the smelter, protecting the operation from voltage fluctuations in the domestic DRC grid. In addition to the UPS, Kamoa-Kakula has, in total, approximately 180 MW of on-site diesel-powered, back-up generator capacity.
Heat-up of the smelter is advancing well, with the furnace temperature already at 800 degrees centigrade. The furnace temperature will be held at this level for the next nine days while “hot” commissioning of the boiler, steam systems, and the concentrate dryer is completed. In addition, the powering up of the furnace electrodes and commissioning of the acid circuit will also take place at the same time.
