Ivanhoe Mines begins copper anode manufacturing at smelter in Africa

Ivanhoe Mines has introduced the preliminary manufacturing of copper anodes at its Kamoa-Kakula smelter in Africa.

The direct-to-blister facility, mentioned to be Africa’s largest copper smelter, has a capability of 500,000 tonnes (t) every year.

The smelter produced the primary anodes in December 2025, roughly 5 weeks after the beginning of its heat-up course of and only one week after receiving its first focus feed.

Ivanhoe Mines anticipates that by 2026, gross sales will surpass manufacturing ranges because it processes 20,000t of stockpiled copper in focus into 99.7% pure copper anodes.

This technique goals to benefit from near-record copper costs.

The ramp-up part of the smelter is predicted to proceed by 2026 and attain a steady-state manufacturing charge by the top of the 12 months.

Throughout this era, Kamoa-Kakula’s administration plans to prioritise processing concentrates produced by its three concentrators on-site.

Any surplus will probably be handled on the Lualaba Copper Smelter close to Kolwezi within the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It’s estimated that unsold shares of copper in focus will lower from 37,000t to round 17,000t all through 2026.

The smelter additionally not too long ago produced its first batch of byproduct sulphuric acid.

With annual manufacturing capability forecast at as much as 700,000t of high-strength sulphuric acid, this byproduct is predicted to fulfill native demand, notably after Zambia’s export ban in September 2025.

The primary sale has already been accomplished, with deliveries forthcoming.

Ivanhoe Mines founder and government co-chairman Robert Friedland mentioned: “The primary manufacturing of copper anodes from our world-class smelter is a defining second for Kamoa-Kakula.

“This achievement is the end result of a $1.1bn [C$1.51bn] funding, 18 million man-hours of disciplined execution, and an excellent well being and security report that displays the professionalism and dedication of everybody concerned.”

When it comes to infrastructure developments, Kamoa-Kakula has put in a 60MW uninterruptible energy provide system and expects its solar energy web site to be operational by the second quarter of 2026.

Furthermore, mining operations at Kakula have achieved completion of stage two dewatering and have began selective mining on the japanese aspect sooner than deliberate.

Dewatering on the western aspect has enabled entry to higher-grade ore areas.

“Ivanhoe Mines begins copper anode manufacturing at smelter in Africa” was initially created and printed by Mining Expertise, a GlobalData owned model.

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