Ivanhoe achieves 2025 copper and zinc production targets as Kamoa Kakula smelter ramps-up
Ivanhoe Mines said it had met its output targets for 2025 at the 'Kamoa Kakula Copper Complex and Kipushi Zinc Mine in Congo. It also issued a guidance that pointed to a steady recovery following a year-long disruption and an important smelter ramp up.
Kamoa-Kakula, widely considered as one of the most important new copper sources in the world, makes details of Canadian miner Ivanhoe’s 2025 production and steady 2026 target targets crucial in a market with tight supply and slow project growth.
The ability of the mine to maintain production within its guidance, along with the ramping up of its new Smelter, reinforces Ivanhoe’s growing influence in the sector. Meanwhile, record output at Kipushi highlights its increasing weight in the zinc sector.
Kamoa-Kakula spent 2025 dealing with water inflows which restricted access to ore of higher grade and weighed down on recovery, forcing an staged dewatering effort.
Ivanhoe stated that Kamoa-Kakula delivered a total of 388,838 tons of copper concentrate in 2025. This falls within the range they had set for 380,000-420,000 tons.
The results reflected the?record-breaking throughput of the Phase 3 Concentrator and the early benefits from destocking, as the mine transitions towards on-site melting.
Ivanhoe has reaffirmed its 2026 copper production guidance of 380,000-420,000 tonnes, saying that the output should increase as underground dewatering continues and higher-graded areas become available.
The company reported that the complex's key milestone was the start-up in late-2025 of Africa's biggest copper smelter. It is currently producing 500 tons of 99.7% pure copper anodes per day.
It said that the first exports will be expected soon.
Ivanhoe stated that the ramp-up will?cut logistic costs by more than half the tons of materials transported per unit copper? while generating new revenue through the production of sulphuric acids.
Results showed that Kamoa-Kakula’s copper sales in 2026 are expected to exceed production by 20,000 tons as the inventory of unsold concentrate copper is destocked primarily during the first half of the year.
Ivanhoe, at Kipushi, reported a record of 203,168 tonnes of zinc in concentrated in 2025. This was achieved after a strong recovery in the second half, supported by improved power stabilty and a debottlenecking program completed ahead of schedule.
Ivanhoe has set a zinc production guidance of 240,000-290,000. The company also stated that the December production rate alone indicated an annualised run rate above 270,000 tons. (Reporting and writing by Congo Newsroom, Maxwell Akalaare Adombila, Editing by Alexander Smith).
(source: Reuters)
