Ivanhoe Congo zinc to US stockpile: offtake structure and supply risks for mine planners
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Ivanhoe Mines is in advanced talks with Gecamines and Mercuria to route zinc-rich concentrate from the Kipushi polymetallic mine in the DRC to the United States under Project Vault, a $12 billion US strategic stockpiling scheme backed by a $10 billion Export-Import Bank loan facility. Under the proposed structure, Mercuria would transfer its existing offtake to Gecamines’ trading arm, which could ultimately handle up to 50% of Kipushi’s output as production ramps to 240,000–290,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate this year. Gecamines aims to leverage the deal to expand processing of zinc, copper, germanium and gallium, while parallel Glencore–Orion arrangements for DRC cobalt and copper signal intensifying competition with Chinese buyers for African feedstock.
Technical Brief
- Mercuria’s existing Kipushi offtake would be contractually reassigned to Gecamines’ trading arm under the proposal.
- A December 2025 Mercuria–Gecamines agreement already provides financing and logistics to activate those offtake rights.
- Gecamines’ stated long‑term objective is to become Kipushi’s sole buyer, consolidating marketing and logistics control.
- The miner plans downstream expansion into processing zinc, copper, germanium and gallium linked to Kipushi feed.
- Project Vault’s $12 billion budget is backed by $1.67 billion private capital plus a $10 billion Ex-Im loan facility.
- US senators are proposing to extend Export-Import Bank authorisation by 10 years and add $70 billion of capacity.
- The same legislative package seeks to lift Ex-Im’s lending cap from $135 billion to $205 billion.
- A parallel Glencore–Orion Critical Mineral Consortium deal will route DRC cobalt and copper into the US supply chain.
Our Take
The presence of both Gecamines and Mercuria in this Kipushi zinc offtake discussion echoes their appearance in the recent Glencore–Orion Critical Mineral Consortium item, suggesting a small but increasingly interconnected group of traders and state entities is shaping DRC copper–cobalt–zinc flows into Western-backed supply chains.
In our database of 892 Mining stories, DRC-linked copper and cobalt assets such as Mutanda and KCC have dominated critical-mineral coverage, so Kipushi’s zinc- and germanium-bearing output moving into a US stockpile would broaden Washington’s exposure beyond the usual battery metals focus.
The proposed expansion of the US Export-Import Bank’s lending cap from $135 billion to $205 billion, alongside the $10 billion facility tied to Project Vault, signals that US-backed offtake structures for Congo metals may increasingly rely on export-credit agency balance sheets rather than pure private trade finance, which could alter pricing and contract tenor expectations for operators like Ivanhoe Mines and Gecamines.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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