Ivanhoe Mines’ Kamoa Copper subsidiary expects to restart underground mining operations on the western side of the Kakula mine later this month.
Seismic activity at the Kakula mine during late May resulted in increased water inflows into the mine, prompting the company to temporarily halt underground operations.
Senior management continue to work with engineering experts to safely restart mining operations.
Ivanhoe points out that the western side of the mine remains dry and supported by more than 1 000 litres a second of operational pumping capacity.
Operations on the eastern side of the Kakula mine are expected to restart once dewatering is complete.
Kamoa Copper has implemented a two-stage plan to dewater the entire Kakula mine. Stage One, which involves the installation of temporary underground pumping infrastructure to stabilise and maintain current water levels, has been completed, with total underground pumping capacity increasing to about 4 400 litres a second, sufficient to manage water inflows.
The second stage, which involves the installation of high-capacity, surface-mounted pumps and new permanent infrastructure to fully dewater the entire Kakula mine, is already under way.
Kamoa Copper has ordered four high-capacity pumps, each rated at 650 litres a second. Additional pumps will also be ordered as part of the long-term pumping infrastructure plan. These pumps will be deployed in pairs and installed in existing ventilation shafts that access the water catchment areas of the Kakula mine.
Delivery and installation of the surface pumps is expected within 90 days.
Meanwhile, the Phase 1 and 2 concentrators continue to operate at about 50% of their combined capacity, processing ore from surface stockpiles. Ore from the western side of the Kakula mine will be fed into the concentrators once underground operations restart.
Ivanhoe and its joint venture partners in Kamoa Copper are finalising a geotechnical assessment of the Kakula mine and plan to share the results of this assessment with the market next week.