Ivanhoe’s Makoko copper resource grows 30%: mining and capex lens for engineers
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
Ivanhoe Mines has increased the Makoko District copper resource in the DRC by 30% to about 12 million tonnes of contained copper, with 42 million tonnes indicated at 2.66% Cu and 612 million tonnes inferred at 1.8% Cu, excluding a further 60,000 metres of 2026 drilling. The company plans a 2027 scoping study and is evaluating shallow open pits combined with underground mining to cut upfront capex and accelerate first production, leveraging infrastructure and expertise from the nearby Kamoa-Kakula complex. Founder Robert Friedland cites a discovery rate of roughly 100 million pounds Cu per 1,000 metres drilled, with mineralisation still open in multiple directions.
Technical Brief
- Makoko forms part of Ivanhoe’s Western Forelands project in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Ivanhoe reports Makoko as the largest, highest‑grade copper discovery globally over the past decade.
- About 60,000 m of 2026 drilling remain excluded from the current mineral resource statement.
- Mineralisation is reported as open in multiple directions, implying further step‑out drilling potential.
- Site works already underway include perimeter fencing, access road construction and environmental baseline data collection.
- Development sequencing aims to leverage infrastructure and operating teams from the adjacent Kamoa‑Kakula copper complex.
- Kamoa‑Kakula moved from discovery to first production in under six years, guiding Makoko schedule assumptions.
- Friedland reports a discovery efficiency of ~100 Mlb contained Cu per 1,000 m drilled in Western Forelands.
Our Take
With Makoko in the Western Forelands sitting alongside the Kamoa-Kakula copper complex, recent investments in site infrastructure such as Sandvik’s 19-unit underground fleet order and the 30 MW solar‑plus‑storage plant at Kamoa Copper S.A. suggest Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin are building a regional operating hub that Makoko could eventually plug into rather than a standalone asset.
The very high discovery rate at Makoko (100 million pounds of contained copper per 1,000 m drilled) combined with Kamoa-Kakula’s six‑year discovery‑to‑first‑production track record implies Ivanhoe Mines may be able to justify accelerated drilling and early study work, potentially shortening the usual timeline for bringing new copper districts in Congo to decision points.
In our database, Ivanhoe Mines appears frequently across the 138 keyword‑matched critical minerals pieces, and its parallel build‑outs at Kipushi (zinc/rare earths) and Platreef (PGM‑nickel‑copper) indicate that Makoko’s expanded copper inventory strengthens a multi‑asset critical minerals portfolio rather than a single‑mine growth story, which can matter for offtake and financing discussions with groups like Korea Zinc.
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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