Ivanhoe Mines has announced it signed a new deal with Gécamines to return the ultra-high-grade Kipushi Mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to production. The Kipushi 2022 feasibility study highlights promising economic results from the planned re-launch of the mine, with a two-year development timeline, Ivanhoe Mines said in a statement.
“Kipushi will be the world’s highest-grade major zinc mine, with aver-age grade of 36.4% zinc over the first five years. [The project will enable a] life-of-mine average annual zinc production of 240,000 tonnes with C1 cash costs of US$0.65/lb of payable zinc,” according to the statement.
The planned investment in the DRC will require a pre-production capital of some US$ 382 million, the Vancouver-based miner said.