Geomechanics.io

  • Free Tools
Sign UpLog In
Built byBoxcut Studio

Geomechanics.io

Geomechanics, Streamlined.

© 2026 Geomechanics.io. All rights reserved.

Geomechanics.io

CMRR-ioGEODB-ioHYDROGEO-ioQCDB-ioFree Tools & CalculatorsBlogLatest Industry News

Industries

MiningConstructionTunnelling

Company

Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyLinkedIn
    Projects
    Sustainability

    Ivanhoe’s Kamoa-Kakula rebound: production, smelter and energy notes for mine planners

    October 9, 2026|

    Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

    Ivanhoe’s Kamoa-Kakula rebound: production, smelter and energy notes for mine planners

    First reported on MINING.com

    30 Second Briefing

    Ivanhoe Mines’ Kamoa-Kakula complex in the DRC lifted third-quarter copper output to 76,401 tonnes of saleable products, including 68,188 tonnes of concentrate, as underground mining rates rose 30% to over 700,000 tonnes per month following new box-cut access at Kamoa 1 and the start of stoping. The on-site 500,000 tpa smelter is running at 60% capacity, producing copper anodes and an annualised 480,000 tonnes of sulphuric acid sold at about $900/t to Copperbelt leach operations, while a 60 MW hybrid solar-plus-battery plant has cut diesel generator use by roughly 40%. Ivanhoe kept 2026 copper guidance at 290,000–310,000 tonnes but expects to land near the lower end, with 43,000 tonnes of copper in inventory and Kipushi zinc concentrate output up 10% to 77,147 tonnes.

    Technical Brief

    • Underground mining capacity now approximates 8.5 Mtpa, driven by extra crews and new Kamoa 1 box-cut access.
    • Q3 2026 copper concentrate output of 68,188 t compares with 61,134 t in Q2 2026 and 71,266 t in Q3 2025.
    • Development over the next 15 months targets long-term access drives and mine services ahead of full production stoping.
    • Smelter quarterly sulphuric acid output of 118,638 t equates to ~480,000 tpa at current operating rates.
    • Kamoa-Kakula held about 43,000 t of contained copper in inventory at Q3 2026 quarter-end.
    • Kipushi zinc mine delivered 77,147 t of zinc concentrate in Q3, a 10% quarter-on-quarter increase.
    • The 60 MW hybrid solar-plus-battery plant is described as Africa’s largest hybrid solar installation at a mine site.

    Our Take

    The 60% smelter operating rate at Kamoa-Kakula, alongside a sulphuric acid price of about $900/t, suggests near-term upside for Ivanhoe Mines if power stability allows higher utilisation, as acid by-product revenues are unusually supportive at current DRC Copperbelt pricing levels.

    The 40% cut in diesel generator use at Kamoa-Kakula, tied to a 60 MW hybrid solar facility, builds directly on the August 2026 item about CrossBoundary Energy’s 30 MW baseload solar system, signalling that this copper complex is becoming a flagship case study in our sustainability-tagged coverage for large African mines de-risking grid power with renewables.

    Kipushi’s 10% zinc output increase here follows the record monthly zinc concentrate performance reported in June 2026, indicating that the DRC operation is consolidating into a stable high-grade producer at the same time Ivanhoe is scaling copper in the Makoko District, which diversifies the company’s exposure across copper and zinc in our database of critical minerals plays.

    Geotechnical Software for Modern Teams

    Centralise site data, logs, and lab results with GEODB-io, CMRR-io, and HYDROGEO-io.

    No credit card required.

    • Save and export unlimited calculations
    • Advanced data visualisation
    • Generate professional PDF reports
    • Cloud storage for all your projects

    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.

    Related Articles

    SigraFi’s $35m ASGM facility: supply chain and risk notes for gold project teams
    Mining
    about 3 hours ago

    SigraFi’s $35m ASGM facility: supply chain and risk notes for gold project teams

    SigraFi has secured a $35 million credit facility from a consortium led by UAE-based Ronin Commercial Brokers to finance gold offtake from organised artisanal and small-scale gold mining cooperatives in the DRC, Zambia and South America. The company already works with PeaceGold in eastern DRC, covering 11 cooperatives and about 25,000 miners in Ituri Province, using multi-year contracts and guaranteed offtake at competitive prices. The model targets ASGM’s roughly 20% share of global newly mined gold by providing traceable, compliant supply to institutional refiners previously reliant on informal channels.

    Tahmoor Colliery sale: restart staging and ground control checks for engineers
    Mining
    about 2 hours ago

    Tahmoor Colliery sale: restart staging and ground control checks for engineers

    Completion of the Tahmoor Colliery sale in New South Wales to the GEAR/M Resources Consortium moves the underground coking coal mine closer to full restart, with about 150 workers already back on site undertaking initial mining activities. The new operator plans a staged ramp-up, progressively recalling additional personnel and recommissioning equipment to restore longwall production. Geotechnical and operational teams will be focused on revalidating ground control, ventilation and gas management systems after the shutdown period before returning to full output.

    Avonbank mineral sands mining licence: design and tailings notes for engineers
    Mining
    about 2 hours ago

    Avonbank mineral sands mining licence: design and tailings notes for engineers

    WIM Resource has secured a mining licence for the Avonbank mineral sands project in western Victoria, located about 15km north-east of Horsham, to extract a heavy mineral assemblage including zircon, titanium minerals and rare earth elements. The approval follows a formal assessment by Resources Victoria, clearing the way for large-scale dredge or dry mining of strandline-style deposits typical of the Murray Basin. For geotechnical and processing teams, the mix of zircon and rare earth-bearing minerals signals complex separation flowsheets and tailings management in fine-grained sands.

    Related Industries & Products

    Mining

    Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.

    Tunnelling

    Specialised solutions for tunnelling projects including grout mix design, hydrogeological analysis, and quality control.

    CMRR-io

    Streamline coal mine roof stability assessments with our cloud-based CMRR software featuring automated calculations, multi-scenario analysis, and collaborative workflows.

    HYDROGEO-io

    Comprehensive hydrogeological testing platform for managing, analysing, and reporting on packer tests, lugeon values, and hydraulic conductivity assessments.

    GEODB-io

    Centralised geotechnical data management solution for storing, accessing, and analysing all your site investigation and material testing data.

    AllGeotechnicalInfrastructureHazardsEnvironmental