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MODERN MINING
February 2016
MINING News
Ivanhoe Mines, listed on the TSX, has
announced the receipt of a new, inde-
pendent, mineral resource estimate for its
historic, high-grade, Kipushi zinc-copper-
germanium-lead-silver mine in the DRC.
Kipushi is a joint venture between Ivanhoe
Mines and Gécamines, the state-owned
mining company.
Highlights of this initial estimate,
prepared by the MSA Group, include
measured and indicated (M&I) mineral
resources in the Big Zinc Zone of 10,2 Mt
at grades of 34,89 % zinc, 0,65 % copper,
19 g/t silver and 51 g/t germanium, at a
7 % zinc cut-off, containing an estimated
7,8 billion pounds of zinc.
The zinc grade of Kipushi’s M&I mineral
resources in the Big Zinc Zone is more than
twice as high as the world’s next-highest-
grade zinc project, independently ranked
by Wood Mackenzie, an international
industry research and consulting group,
based on contained zinc.
Zinc-rich inferred mineral resources
total an additional 1,9 Mt at grades of
28,24 % zinc, 1,18 % copper, 10 g/t sil-
ver and 53 g/t germanium. The inferred
resources are contained partially in the Big
Zinc Zone and partially in the Southern
Zinc Zone.
Kipushi’s copper-rich M&I mineral
resources contained in the adjacent
Fault Zone, Fault Zone Splay and Série
Récurrente Zone total an additional
1,63 Mt at grades of 4,01 % copper, 2,87 %
zinc and 22 g/t silver, at a 1,5 % copper
cut-off, containing 144 million pounds of
copper. Copper-rich inferred resources in
these zones total an additional 1,64 Mt at
grades of 3,30 % copper, 6,97 % zinc and
19 g/t silver.
“This independent estimate of Kipushi’s
mineral resources has exceeded our expec-
tations. We are convinced that significant
additional mineral resources can be delin-
eated at Kipushi,” comments Robert
Friedland, Executive Chairman of Ivanhoe.
“With a current resource now estab-
lished, we are evaluating technical and
infrastructure options to best advance
the project. The exceptionally high grades
that consistently are being discovered at
Kipushi are unique in the international
mining industry and provide further con-
firmation that this project has the potential
to benefit the people of the Democratic
Republic of Congo for decades to come
when it returns to production.”
The Kipushi mine is on the Central
African Copperbelt in the DRC’s southern
Haut-Katanga province, one of Africa’s
major mining hubs. Themine, which began
Kipushi mineral resource estimate exceeds expectations
operations in 1924, is located approxi-
mately 30 km south-west of the provincial
capital, Lubumbashi, and less than 1 km
from the DRC-Zambia border.
Friedland noted that since Ivanhoe
assumed responsibility at Kipushi, sig-
nificant progress has been made in
rehabilitating the surface and under-
ground infrastructure. The dewatering
programme, implemented by Ivanhoe
in late 2011, has been successful and the
water levels are now being maintained
below Kipushi’s main pumping station on
the 1 210-m level. Three new, high-capacity
Grifo pumps have been purchased and will
be installed at the main pumping station
alongside the five existing high-capacity
Sulzer pumps that are being refurbished.
The expected cost of the upgrade and
refurbishment of the main pumping sta-
tion is expected to be approximately
US$3,8 million.
The new Grifo pumps are expected
to be commissioned in the third quarter
of this year and, in conjunction with the
refurbished Sulzer pumps, will provide suf-
ficient pumping capacity to keep the entire
mine dewatered with a 100 % pumping
redundancy.
Originally named the Prince Léopold
mine, Kipushi is one of Katanga’s
most famous mines.
Approximately 60 Mt
grading 11 % zinc and
7 % copper were mined
between 1924 and 1993,
producing a total of
6,6 Mt of zinc and 4,0 Mt
of copper. The mine also
produced 12 673 tonnes
of lead and approximately
278 tonnes of germanium
between 1956 and 1978.
The lower levels of
the mine flooded in early
2011 due to a lack of
pumping maintenance
over an extended period.
Ivanhoe Mines (formerly
Ivanplats) acquired a
68 % interest in Kipushi in
November 2011 and has
assumed responsibility
for ongoing redevelop-
ment, dewatering and
drilling.
Two of three new high-volume Grifo pumps to be installed at the main pumping station 1 210 m below surface (photo: Ivanhoe).