- Operational efficiency, technological improvements boost output
- Single-week concentrate production of 6,064 t achieved in late-Aug
In Q3CY’25, Ivanhoe Mines achieved a milestone at its Kipushi operation with record zinc production, showcasing its rising significance in the company’s mineral portfolio. The Kipushi concentrator milled 168,862 tonnes (t) of ore at an average grade of 37.8% zinc, producing 52,700 t of zinc in concentrate — a 37 % increase over Q2CY’25.
This output resulted from a recently completed debottlenecking programme and improvements to the dense media separation (DMS) circuit upstream of the concentrator. These enhancement works were delivered ahead of schedule and under budget, enabling higher throughput and efficiency.
During late August, the plant achieved a single-week zinc concentrate production of 6,064 t, which annualises to over 315,000 t if sustained, positioning Kipushi among the world’s top zinc operations by rate. The mine has full-year 2025 zinc production guidance of between 180,000-240,000 t, and year-to-date production already stands at 137,224 t.
However, operational constraints from grid instability remain a factor; Kipushi is installing 6 MW of backup generator capacity to reinforce reliability, increasing total onsite backup to 20 MW.
These zinc advances at Kipushi underscore Ivanhoe’s strategic shift towards diversified base metal production beyond copper, enhancing resilience and tapping into the growing demand for zinc in global markets.
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