Kamoa-Kakula: a copper operation in DR Congo
Kamoa-Kakula is an underground mine producing copper in Lualaba Province, DR Congo. The sources report 388,841 t copper in concentrate for CY2025; the basis is the whole operation. In copper content, whole-operation output for CY2025 is 388,841 tonnes: about 1.7% of world copper output in 2025 and about 12% of DR Congo's; it is one of 11 operations on this site whose output can be stated in copper content.
Who owns and operates it?
| Owner | Interest | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Ivanhoe Mines | 39.6% | 18 February 2026 |
| Zijin Mining | 39.6% | 18 February 2026 |
| Crystal River | 0.8% | 18 February 2026 |
| DRC government | 20% | 18 February 2026 |
How much does it produce?
| Period | Output | Basis | Where in the source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CY2025 | 388,841 t copper in concentrate | Whole operation | 'Kamoa-Kakula produced 388,841 tonnes of copper in 2025' (Operations / production section) · Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. |
How the copper-content figure is worked out. Ivanhoe Mines reports 388,841 tonnes of copper in concentrate for the whole operation. World mine production of copper in 2025 was 23,000,000 tonnes (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026); DR Congo produced 3,200,000 tonnes.
Status: operating, as of 18 February 2026.
How does it compare?
Other copper operations on this site: Escondida, Cerro Verde, Antamina, Morenci, Grasberg, Kamoto Copper Company (KCC), Oyu Tolgoi, Las Bambas, Buenavista del Cobre, Toquepala. In DR Congo: Kamoto Copper Company (KCC). See where copper comes from for the country totals, the country page for DR Congo.
Sources
- Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.: Ivanhoe Mines Issues 2025 Fourth Quarter and Annual Financial Results (18 February 2026) (company results release, CY2025). Opened 3 November 2026; used: Operations section (388,841 t); 'Principal projects' (ownership, location); sales 351,674 t vs 396,972 t.
- U.S. Geological Survey: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Copper (government statistical summary, 2025 (world and country mine production)). Opened 3 November 2026; used: world and country mine production table.
Method and limits
- Reported, not estimated. Output is the figure the operator or owner published, in the unit it used. This site does not estimate output where none is published.
- Shares. A share divides output in copper content by the USGS world or country total for 2025. Where the operator's year is a fiscal year or the unit is a concentrate or a carbonate equivalent, the share is approximate or not given.
- Whole operation or owner's share. The basis column says which. A joint venture's output is never counted twice.
- Partial list. Only operations with a published figure are listed, so the rank is among those on this site, not among every copper mine. Shares of a country's output mix periods and bases, so treat them as indicative.
- Made with AI assistance, checked against sources. The facts were gathered from the documents above by AI-assisted research and re-checked against those documents by a second, independent pass; the page text is generated from the data. No professional review took place. How the site is made. To report an error, contact us; fixes are logged on the corrections page.