TSX- and OTCQX-listed Ivanhoe Mines says Stage 2 dewatering at the Kakula mine, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, started on schedule and that the company will provide an update on the copper production guidance for the Kamoa-Kakula complex for 2026 and 2027 once Stage 2 dewatering activities are more advanced.

The Kakula underground mine was forced to temporarily shut down in May after seismic activity resulted in severe flooding.

Stage 1 dewatering activities, to stabilise and maintain current water levels at the mine, were completed in early June.

Three out of the four Stage 2 high-capacity, submersible pumps were recently installed and commissioned on schedule. Kamoa-Kakula’s engineering team expect to have all four Stage 2 pumps operating within the coming days, operating at a combined pumping rate of about 2 600 ℓ a second.

Since the commissioning of the three Stage 2 pumps, the underground water level in the Kakula mine has dropped vertically by 10 m, out of a total of about 80 m.

Once all four Stage 2 pumps are operational, the existing Stage 1 temporary, underground pumping infrastructure will be repositioned further down the mine, following the water level as it declines.

The total pumping rate out of the Kakula mine is expected to increase up to a target of about 6 400 ℓ a second, or 550 Mℓ a day, reducing the vertical underground water level by about 1 m a day.

The majority of the Stage 2 dewatering is expected to be complete by the end of November.

As the underground water level falls, the underground mining team have already started systematically rehabilitating the newly dewatered areas of the mine. The team is initially focused on rehabilitating the areas required for repositioning the Stage 1 underground pumping infrastructure.

Mine planning and scheduling is well advanced to support the ramp-up of underground mining activities from both Kakula and Kamoa mines, with a medium-term target of returning the copper production rate to over 550 000 t/y.

In the meantime, copper production guidance for 2026 and 2027 will be deferred until sufficient physical inspection of the newly dewatered areas of the Kakula mine has been completed.