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DRC
Kipushi Project

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 Location:
27 km W from Lubumbashi, DRC

  Project Contacts:
82 on Maude, Second Floor 82 Maude Street Sandton
Johannesburg
South Africa
2146
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Costs & Financials
  • Fleet
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageConstruction
Mine TypeUnderground
Commodities
  • Zinc
  • Copper
  • Lead
  • Silver
  • Cobalt
  • Germanium
Mining Method
  • Pillar mining
  • Sub-level open stoping (SLOS)
  • Cemented backfill
Production Start...
Mine Life13.8 years (as of Jan 1, 2022)
Kipushi Project is the world’s highest-grade major zink project.
Latest NewsIvanhoe Mines Announces Capital Expenditure Guidance to First Production for Kamoa-Kakula Phase 3, Platreef (Phase 1) and Kipushi     January 31, 2023


Owners

Source: p. 28
CompanyInterestOwnership
Gécamines S.A 32 % Indirect
Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. 68 % Indirect
Ivanhoe and Gécamines respectively own 68% and 32% of the Kipushi Project through Kipushi Corporation SA (KICO), the mining rights holder of the Kipushi Project.

Contractors

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Deposit Type

  • Replacement
  • Carbonate hosted
  • Vein / narrow vein


Summary:

The mineral deposits at Kipushi are an example of carbonate-hosted copper-zinc-lead mineralisation hosted in pipe-like replacement and tabular zones. This deposit type tends to form irregular, discordant mineralised bodies within carbonate or calcareous sediments, forming massive pods, breccia/fault-like fillings and stockworks (Trueman, 1998). They often form pipe-like to tabular deposits strongly elongate in one direction. Zinc-lead rich zones can project from the main zone of mineralisation as replacement bodies parallel to bedding, as is the case at Kipushi.

This deposit type is associated with intracratonic platform and rifted continental margin sedimentary sequences which are typically folded and locally faulted (Cox and Bernstein, 1986). The host carbonate sediments were deposited in shallow marine, inter-tidal, salt flat, lagoonal or lacustrine environments and are often overlain unconformably by oxidised sandstone-siltstone-shale units. The largest deposits are Neoproterozoic in age and occur within thick sedimentary sequences.

The Katanga Supergroup hosts a number of epigenetic zinc-copper-lead deposits developed within deformed platform carbonate sequences. While many of these are relatively small (e.g. Kengere and Lombe in the DRC; Bob Zinc, Lukusashi, Millberg, Mufukushi, Sebembere, and Star Zinc in Zambia), Kipushi and Kabwe in the DRC and Zambia respectively represent world class deposits with predominantly massive sulphide mineralisation ........


Mining Methods

  • Pillar mining
  • Sub-level open stoping (SLOS)
  • Cemented backfill


Summary:

Mining zones included in the current Kipushi Mine plans occur at depths ranging from approximately 1,200 mL and 1,590 mL with 0 mL being the surface. Access to the mine will be via multiple vertical existing shafts and internal decline. Mining will be performed using highly productive mechanised methods and CRF utilised or backfilling of open stopes. Depending on the required composition and available material, excess waste rock, and dense media separation (DMS) tailings will be used in the CRF mix as required.

Mining is planned to be a combination of Transverse Sublevel Open Stoping and Pillar Retreat mining methods. The Big Zinc area stopes are planned to be mined as Sublevel Open Stopes to be extracted in a Primary and Secondary sequence and filled with CRF. The sill pillars are to be mined on retreat once the stopes below and above have been mined.

The primary and secondary stopes are each 15 m W x 30 m H, with panels of two sublevels separated by a 15 m high sill pillar every 75 m vertically. Stope lengths vary from 5–60 m (maximum). Ore drives are developed perpendicular to the strike of the orebody, at a spacing of 15 m centre to centre. Drill drive dimensions are 6.0 m W x 6.0 m H and extraction drives are 5.5 m W x 5.0 m H, both with an arched profile.

On the sill pillar levels stopes are 15 m W x 15 m H, with stope lengths varying from 5–60 m. Drill drive dimensions are 6.0 m W x 6.0 m H, with drill drives located in permanent pillar ........


Crushing and Grinding
Source: Subscription required

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Processing

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Summary:

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Projected Production:

CommodityProductUnitsAvg. AnnualLOM
Zinc Concentrate kt 4376,013
Zinc Metal in concentrate M lbs 5297,263

Operational Metrics:

Metrics
Waste tonnes, LOM  ......  Subscription required
Ore tonnes mined, LOM  ......  Subscription required
Tonnes processed, LOM  ......  Subscription required
Annual processing rate  ......  Subscription required
Annual processing capacity  ......  Subscription required
Annual ore mining rate  ......  Subscription required
* According to 2022 study.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at February 14, 2022:
Net Smelter Return (NSR) is used to define the Mineral Reserve cut-offs, therefore, cut-off is denominated in $/t. By definition, the cut-off is the point at which the costs are equal to the NSR. An elevated cut-off grade of $135/t NSR was used to define the mining shapes. The marginal cut-off grade has been calculated to be $50/t NSR.

For the zinc-rich zones the Mineral Resource is reported at a base case cut-off grade of 7.0% Zn.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Proven 3.33 Mt Zinc 37.4 % 1,246 kt
Probable 7.48 Mt Zinc 29.4 % 2,199 kt
Proven & Probable 10.82 Mt Zinc 31.9 % 3,445 kt
Measured 3.65 Mt Zinc 39.87 % 3,211 M lbs
Measured 3.65 Mt Copper 0.65 % 52.3 M lbs
Measured 3.65 Mt Lead 0.35 % 27.8 M lbs
Measured 3.65 Mt Silver 18 g/t 2.06 M oz
Measured 3.65 Mt Cobalt 18 ppm 0.14 M lbs
Measured 3.65 Mt Germanium 56 g/t 6.6 M oz
Indicated 8.13 Mt Zinc 33.3 % 5,966 M lbs
Indicated 8.13 Mt Copper 0.87 % 156.4 M lbs
Indicated 8.13 Mt Lead 1.36 % 244.4 M lbs
Indicated 8.13 Mt Silver 25 g/t 6.59 M oz
Indicated 8.13 Mt Cobalt 11 ppm 0.2 M lbs
Indicated 8.13 Mt Germanium 68 g/t 17.77 M oz
Measured & Indicated 11.78 Mt Zinc 35.34 % 9,176 M lbs
Measured & Indicated 11.78 Mt Copper 0.8 % 208.6 M lbs
Measured & Indicated 11.78 Mt Lead 1.05 % 272.2 M lbs
Measured & Indicated 11.78 Mt Silver 23 g/t 8.65 M oz
Measured & Indicated 11.78 Mt Cobalt 13 ppm 0.34 M lbs
Measured & Indicated 11.78 Mt Germanium 64 g/t 24.36 M oz
Inferred 1.14 Mt Zinc 33.77 % 850.7 M lbs
Inferred 1.14 Mt Copper 1.24 % 31.3 M lbs
Inferred 1.14 Mt Lead 0.24 % 6.2 M lbs
Inferred 1.14 Mt Silver 12 g/t 0.46 M oz
Inferred 1.14 Mt Cobalt 14 ppm 0.04 M lbs
Inferred 1.14 Mt Germanium 62 g/t 2.28 M oz

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnitsAverage
Site cash costs (produced) Zinc USD  ......  Subscription required&nbs
C1 cash costs Zinc USD  ......  Subscription required&nbs
Assumed price Zinc USD  ......  Subscription required&nbs
* According to 2022 study / presentation.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operating Costs:

Units2022
UG mining costs ($/t milled) USD 59 *
Processing costs ($/t milled) USD  ......  Subscription required
G&A ($/t milled) USD  ......  Subscription required
Total operating costs ($/t milled) USD  ......  Subscription required
* According to 2022 study.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

2022 Study Costs and Valuation Metrics :

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Pre-Production capital costs $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Sustaining CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Closure costs $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Total CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
UG OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Processing OpEx $M USD 248
Refining costs $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Transportation (haulage) costs $M USD 1,757
G&A costs $M USD 201
Total OpEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Royalty payments $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Gross revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Net revenue (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Operating margin, %  ......  Subscription required
Operating margin (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscription required
After-tax Cash Flow (LOM) $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax NPV @ 5% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax NPV @ 10% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
After-tax NPV @ 5% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
After-tax NPV @ 10% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscription required
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscription required
After-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Pipelines
TypeMaterialDiameterLengthDescription


Proposed Heavy Mobile Equipment as of February 14, 2022:
HME TypeModelQuantityLeased or
Contractor
Drill (long hole) ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Leased
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Leased
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Leased
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Leased
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Leased
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Leased
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Leased
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Feb 14, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Feb 14, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 19, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 19, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 19, 2022
Subscription required - Subscription is required.


Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
Corporate Presentation 2023
Corporate Presentation 2022
Feasibility Study Report 2022
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2019
Press Release 2018
Pre-Feasibility Study Report 2017
Preliminary Economic Assessment 2016
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

News:

NewsDate
Ivanhoe Mines Announces Capital Expenditure Guidance to First Production for Kamoa-Kakula Phase 3, Platreef (Phase 1) and Kipushi January 31, 2023

Subscription required - Subscription is required.

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