Ivanhoe Mines which operates the largest African copper mine in the DRC, has launched the construction of the largest copper smelter on the continent on the site, with an annual capacity of 500 000 tonnes d ' anodes. The launch aims to refine part of its mine's production locally

Ivanhoe Mines plans to produce the first copper anodes at the Kamoa-Kakula smelter in DRC in July 2025. The Canadian mining company announced that it had secured the electrical supply needed to start operating the largest copper smelter in Africa

Last month, the company signed an agreement to increase this capacity from 50 MW to 70 MW, an increase of 40%. This electricity comes from Mozambique, via the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP) network, and passes through the electrical interconnection with Zambia to reach the Kamoa-Kakula installations.

En réalité, depuis des mois Ivanhoe fait face à des difficulties to guarantee a stable electricity supply, essential to its activities. It took the lead to ensure the launch of the smelter, which was scheduled to consume 45 MW at start-up and reach 70 MW at full capacity. With the Kamoa-Kakula mine, which requires an average power of 130 to 140 MW (estimated in March 2025), Ivanhoe therefore needs more than 200 MW to ensure all of its activities on the site. To achieve this objective, the company can rely not only on imported electricity, but also on 50 MW of local power supplied by the Congolese electricity grid