Ivanhoe Mines announces Africa’s largest and greenest copper smelter has commenced heat-up
December 1, 2025
Ivanhoe Mines announces Africa’s largest and greenest copper
smelter has commenced heat-up
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First feed of concentrate into the smelter expected by year end
■
Ivanhoe Mines to issue Kamoa-Kakula’s 2026 and 2027 copper
production guidance this week
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN) (OTCQX: IVPAF)
Executive Co-Chairman Robert Friedland and President and Chief Executive
Officer Marna Cloete are delighted to announce that start-up of Kamoa-Kakula’s
500,000-tonnes-per-annum direct-to-blister copper smelter commenced on
November 21, 2025. The event was marked by a traditional blessing by the Chief
of Kamoa-Kakula’s local communities, as well as an opening ceremony at the
smelter site.
Ivanhoe Mines’ Founder and Executive Co-Chairman Robert Friedland
commented during the opening ceremony:
"The ceremony today is not just a ritual; it is the passing of a torch representing
transformative change at Kamoa-Kakula… From a site where we first discovered
high-grade copper in 2008, we now harness a fire blessed by tradition to power a
facility that will set a new global standard for copper smelting.
“We are witnessing a significant milestone for Kamoa-Kakula, the Lualaba
Province and the broader Congolese mining industry… we have taken a major
step forward in the production of clean, sustainable copper in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo.”
Kamoa-Kakula’s Managing Director, Annebel Oosthuizen, also commented during
the opening ceremony:
“This day belongs to every Kamoa Copper employee. You built this… We fired it
up…. This is our collective success. The fire we lit today is the light that will
change the future, not just for Kamoa Copper, but for our community, our
country, and the African continent.”
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Smelter heat-up underway following traditional blessing by Chief of
local communities, as well as an opening ceremony at smelter site
On November 21, 2025, the opening ceremony of Kamoa-Kakula’s copper smelter
started at a traditional copper furnace, called a lwanzo lwa mikuba, at a
site near the smelter. The lwanzo lwa mikuba was prepared by the Chief of Land
Muvunda and his team, as per the tradition, and Honourable Chief Musokantanda
Sabuni Kafweku provided a blessing while commemorative Katanga Crosses of
copper were smelted.
Chief Musokantanda then took the flame from the lwanzo lwa mikuba and carried
it from the traditional site to the smelter at Kamoa-Kakula. At the smelter, the
flame was handed over to Ivanhoe Mines’ Founder and Co-Chairman, Robert
Friedland, who lit a ceremonial torch. The ceremonial torch was then passed
around to members of the senior management team from Ivanhoe Mines and
Kamoa Copper, as well as team members instrumental in the smelter’s
construction, before being placed inside the smelter furnace, providing the
ignition source for its heat-up.
Watch the video of the blessing and opening ceremony of the
Kamoa-Kakula Copper Smelter, led by Chief Musokantanda and
Robert Friedland:
https://vimeo.com/1141185000/05dad5519c?share=copy&fl=sv&fe
=ci
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(L-R) Chief Musokantanda and Ivanhoe Mines’ Founder and Executive Co-
Chairman Robert Friedland marked the official opening at the smelter with
a ribbon-cutting ceremony. In addition, Chief Musokantanda carried a
ceremonial flame from a nearby village to the smelter site, which was then
used as the ignition source for Kamoa-Kakula’s smelter furnace.
The opening ceremony of the Kamoa-Kakula smelter was attended by
members of Kamoa Copper’s workforce, adjacent to the smelter’s casting
wheels that are expected to commence producing 99.7% copper anodes by
year's end.
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First feed of Kamoa-Kakula concentrate expected by year end
The heat-up of Kamoa-Kakula’s state-of-the-art on-site, 500,000-tonne-per-annum
direct-to-blister copper smelter commenced on November 21, 2025. The first feed
of concentrate into the smelter is expected by year end. Kamoa-Kakula’s
management team expects to prioritize the processing of concentrates produced
by the Phase 1, 2, and 3 concentrators through the on-site smelter, with any
excess concentrate toll-treated at the nearby Lualaba Copper Smelter (LCS) in
Kolwezi.
Prior to start-up, Kamoa-Kakula’s on-site concentrate inventory contained
approximately 37,000 tonnes of copper. Total unsold copper in concentrate at the
smelter, held in stockpiles and the smelting circuit, is expected to be reduced to
approximately 17,000 tonnes during 2026 as the smelter fully ramps up.
The smelter heat-up commenced as the installation of the uninterruptible power
supply (UPS) facility nears completion. The 60-megawatt (MW) UPS is designed to
provide up to two hours of instantaneous back-up power to the smelter,
protecting the operation from voltage fluctuations in the domestic DRC grid. In
addition to the UPS, Kamoa-Kakula has, in total, approximately 180 MW of on-site
diesel-powered, back-up generator capacity.
Heat-up of the smelter is advancing well, with the furnace temperature already at
800 degrees centigrade. The furnace temperature will be held at this level for the
next nine days while “hot” commissioning of the boiler, steam systems, and the
concentrate dryer is completed. In addition, the powering up of the furnace
electrodes and commissioning of the acid circuit will also take place at the same
time.
Watch the video summarizing the process of the state-of-the-art
direct-to-blister Kamoa-Kakula Copper Smelter:
https://vimeo.com/1140698414/a02c0d215d?share=copy&fl=sv&fe
=ci
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Kamoa-Kakula’s 500,000-tonnes-per-annum direct-to-blister copper smelter
commenced the heat-up on November 21, 2025. Once ramped up, the
smelter will be the largest copper smelter in Africa.
Qualified Persons
Disclosures of a scientific or technical nature in this news release have been
reviewed and approved by Steve Amos, who is considered, by virtue of his
education, experience, and professional association, a Qualified Person under
the terms of NI 43-101. Mr. Amos is not considered independent under NI 43-101
as he is Ivanhoe Mines’ Executive Vice President, Projects. Mr. Amos has verified
the technical data disclosed in this news release.
Ivanhoe has prepared independent, NI 43-101-compliant technical report for the
Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex, which is available on the company’s website
and under the company’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca:
• Kamoa-Kakula Integrated Development Plan 2023 Technical Report dated
March 6, 2023, prepared by OreWin Pty Ltd.; China Nerin Engineering Co.
Ltd.; DRA Global; Epoch Resources; Golder Associates Africa; Metso
Outotec Oyj; Paterson and Cooke; SRK Consulting Ltd.; and The MSA
Group.
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The technical report includes relevant information regarding the power demand
balance at the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex cited in this news release, , and
other matters relevant to the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this
news release.
About Ivanhoe Mines
Ivanhoe Mines is a Canadian mining company focused on advancing its three
principal operations in Southern Africa; the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in
the DRC, the ultra-high-grade Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine, also in
the DRC; and the tier-one Platreef platinum-palladium-nickel-rhodium-gold-
copper mine in South Africa.
Ivanhoe Mines is exploring for copper in its highly prospective, 54-100% owned
exploration licences in the Western Forelands, covering an area over six times
larger than the adjacent Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex, including the high-
grade discoveries in the Makoko District. Ivanhoe is also exploring for new
sedimentary copper discoveries in new horizons, including Angola, Kazakhstan,
and Zambia.
Information contact
Follow Robert Friedland (@robert_ivanhoe) and Ivanhoe Mines (@IvanhoeMines_)
on X.
Investors
Vancouver: Matthew Keevil +1.604.558.1034
London: Tommy Horton +44 7866 913 207
Media
Tanya Todd +1.604.331.9834
Website: www.ivanhoemines.com
Forward-looking statements
Certain statements in this release constitute “forward-looking statements” or “forward-
looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements
and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that
may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the company, its
projects, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results,
performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements or information. Such statements can be identified using words such as
“may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “intend”, “expect”, “believe”, “plan”, “anticipate”,
“estimate”, “scheduled”, “forecast”, “predict” and other similar terminology, or state that
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certain actions, events, or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken,
occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the company’s current expectations
regarding future events, performance, and results and speak only as of the date of this
release.
Such statements include, without limitation: (i) statements that the first feed of
concentrate into the Kamoa-Kakula smelter is expected by year end; (ii) statements that
Kamoa-Kakula’s management team expects to prioritize the processing of concentrates
produced by the Phase 1, 2, and 3 concentrators through the on-site smelter, with any
excess concentrate toll-treated at the Lualaba Copper Smelter; (iii) statements that
unsold copper in concentrate at the smelter, held in stockpiles and the smelting circuit,
is expected be reduce to approximately 17,000 tonnes during 2026 as the smelter fully
ramps up; and (iv) statements that Ivanhoe Mines will issue Kamoa-Kakula’s 2026 and
2027 copper production guidance on December 2.
Forward-looking statements and information involve significant risks and uncertainties,
should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not
necessarily be accurate indicators of whether such results will be achieved. Many
factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the
forward-looking statements or information, including, but not limited to those discussed
above and under the “Risk Factors” section in the company’s MD&A for the three and
nine months ended September 30, 2025, and its current annual information form, and
elsewhere in this news release, as well as unexpected changes in laws, rules or
regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; changes in the rate of water
ingress into underground workings; the continuation of seismic activity; the state of
underground infrastructure; delays in securing underground access; changes to the
mining methods required in the future; the failure of parties to contracts with the
company to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices;
and the failure of exploration programs or studies to deliver anticipated results or results
that would justify and support continued exploration, studies, development or
operations.
Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon
what management of the company believes are reasonable assumptions, the company
cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news
release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject
to applicable securities laws, the company does not assume any obligation to update or
revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or
circumstances occurring after the date of this news release.
The company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these
forward-looking statements as a result of the factors outlined in the “Risk Factors”
section in the company’s MD&A for the three and nine months ended September 30,
2025, and its current annual information form.