Underground operations at the Kakula Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo remain on hold as Ivanhoe Mines continues remediation efforts in response to recent seismic activity. The suspension, first announced on 20 May 2025, was reimposed on 25 May following further underground tremors. All personnel and equipment have been safely evacuated, with no injuries reported.
Ivanhoe Mines’ senior leadership, alongside a team of leading geotechnical experts, is investigating the root causes of the seismic events, which could persist for several weeks and delay the restart of mining activities. The company has prioritised employee safety and is focusing on maintaining and enhancing pumping infrastructure to manage increased underground water inflow caused by disrupted systems.
Kamoa Copper, with the support of partners Ivanhoe, Zijin Mining, and CITIC Metal, is developing detailed dewatering plans and procuring additional equipment to bolster pumping capacity. The immediate goal is to restore capacity from the current 1,000 litres per second to over 3,000 litres per second—considered sufficient to stabilise water ingress.
Remediation work is ongoing in the shallower western parts of the mine, while surface infrastructure, including the Phase 1 and 2 concentrators and the direct-to-blister smelter, remains fully operational. These facilities continue processing ore from surface stockpiles.
Ivanhoe’s CEO Marna Cloete praised the workforce’s resilience and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to safety. She said efforts are underway to investigate the issues thoroughly, restore water management systems, and potentially redeploy staff and equipment to the unaffected Kamoa Mine.
Executive Co-Chairman Robert Friedland compared the challenges to learning curves experienced in other high-tech industries, noting that the experience will lead to improved safety and long-term resilience. He emphasised that lessons from Kakula would benefit future operations at both Kamoa and the broader Western Forelands region.
Operations at the Kamoa underground mine and the new Phase 3 concentrator continue without interruption. However, Ivanhoe has temporarily withdrawn its 2025 production and cost forecasts as it reassesses the situation. Updates will be provided in due course.
Ivanhoe and its partners reaffirmed their commitment to safely restarting operations at Kakula.
