Robert Friedland, Executive Chairman of Ivanhoe Mines, and Lars-Eric Johansson, Chief Executive Officer, recently announced that the company has completed an independently verified, updated Mineral Resource estimate for the ultra-high-gradeKakula Discoveryon the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project, near the mining centre of Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The tier-one Kamoa-Kakula Project is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines, Zijin Mining and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The updated Kakula Mineral Resource estimate, prepared under the direction of independent consultant Amec Foster Wheeler,covers a mineralized strike length of 13.3 kilometres. For the first time, the updated estimate incorporates Mineral Resources contained in the Kakula West Discovery area and the saddle area between the main Kakula Discovery area and Kakula West.
The new estimate boosts the total tonnage of Kakula’s Indicated Mineral Resources by 50%, at a 3% copper cut-off, compared to the previous Kakula resource estimate issued in May 2017 that covered a strike length of 7.7 kilometres.
Kakula’s new Indicated Mineral Resources at a 3% cut-off grade have increased by 58 million tonnes and currently total 174 million tonnes at a grade of 5.62% copper. This compares to the May 2017 estimate of 116 million tonnes at 6.09% copper, at the same cut-off grade. Estimated Inferred Mineral Resources now total an additional nine million tonnes at a grade of 3.66% copper, at a 3% cut-off.