It noted that the use of existing, rehabilitated surface and underground infrastructure would allow the JV to keep costs relatively low while taking only two years to reach production.
“Kipushi is exceptional, not only because of the renowned Big Zinc deposit, which is one of the world’s richest orebodies, but more importantly because of the people of Kipushi and the unique partnerships that make today’s ceremony possible,” Ivanhoe Mines’ president, Marna Cloete, said.
The Kipushi 2022 feasibility study envisions an 800,000-tonne-per-annum concentrator and underground mine, producing an average of 240,000 tonnes of zinc anually over a 14-year life of mine.
The companies said that once in production, Kipushi would be the world’s highest-grade major zinc mine, with an average head grade of 36.4% zinc over the first five years of production.
