Highlights

• Kipushi zinc mine boosts concentrator capacity by 20% after upgrades.
• Record output in first week points to global top-5 ranking potential.
• Ivanhoe stays cautious, keeping 2025 forecast unchanged at 180,000–240,000 tonnes.

The Kipushi zinc mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), operated by Ivanhoe Mines (62%) and state miner Gécamines (38%), has lifted production following the completion of upgrades to its concentrator and density separator (DMS).

The debottlenecking work, designed to resolve operational setbacks encountered in 2024, increased concentrator capacity by 20%, the company said in a statement released on August 27, 2025.

Within a week of restarting operations, Kipushi delivered 5,545 tonnes of zinc in concentrate — a record output equivalent to an annualized rate of 290,000 tonnes. At that pace, the mine could rank as the world’s fourth-largest zinc producer, according to a June 2024 GlobalData survey published by Mining Technology.

Despite the strong start, Ivanhoe has kept its 2025 production forecast at 180,000–240,000 tonnes.

The upgrade follows a challenging 2024, when high iron content in ore from the top of the deposit reduced recovery rates and forced Ivanhoe to lower its forecast from 100,000–140,000 tonnes to 50,000–70,000 tonnes. Actual output was 50,307 tonnes.

To address the issue, Ivanhoe launched a concentrator and DMS upgrade program in September 2024. According to early results, 42,736 tonnes of concentrate were produced in Q1 2025. The company now states that the work has been completed ahead of schedule and under budget, although it had previously informed investors that it expected to spend $25 million this year at Kipushi.

On the sales side, Ivanhoe signed an offtake deal in July with Swiss trader Mercuria for one-third of Kipushi’s output not already committed to CITIC Metal (HK) and Trafigura Asia Trading. Mercuria will also provide a $20 million loan at 6% interest.

Timothée Manoke, intern