Key Points
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Ivanhoe begins heating a 500,000-ton-a-year copper smelter at Kamoa-Kakula
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Friedland leads a symbolic flame ceremony at the complex
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Smelter will produce blister anodes and cut reliance on third-party processors
Ivanhoe Mines has begun heating its 500,000-ton-a-year direct-to-blister copper smelter at the Kamoa-Kakula complex in Lualaba Province. The unit entered its heat-up phase on Nov. 21 and is moving from cold tests toward its first concentrate feed before year-end.
The smelter will process material from Kamoa-Kakula’s Phase 1, 2 and 3 concentrators into blister anodes that grade about 99.7 percent copper.
Any leftover concentrate will continue moving to the nearby Lualaba Copper Smelter through tolling deals. Ivanhoe plans to keep more of the value on site as production expands.
Friedland Leads the First Flame
Robert Friedland turned the start-up into a moment that blended tradition and modern engineering. Local leaders began the ceremony at a village furnace, producing copper the old way before carrying a symbolic flame to the industrial site. The torch was handed to Friedland, who used it to light the furnace’s first fire.
Friedland, now 74, has spent decades arguing that Congo’s metals will power the global energy transition. The launch at Kamoa-Kakula gave him a chance to reinforce that message.
Power Systems Stabilize the Complex
Behind the symbolism is an operation built to run under Africa’s challenging power conditions. The smelter has a 60-megawatt uninterruptible power system that shields it from grid swings, along with roughly 180 megawatts of diesel generation on site.
Operators have pushed the furnace to around 800 degrees Celsius while commissioning boilers, the concentrate dryer, steam systems and an acid plant.
Low-Carbon Claim Rests on Hydropower
Ivanhoe presents the smelter as a lower-emissions operation because it is designed to draw mainly on Congo’s hydroelectric grid. The company argues that this supports global buyers who track carbon footprints across mining supply chains.
Copper from Kamoa-Kakula feeds sectors that include automakers, wind-turbine builders and power-grid developers.
