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Operations & Projects

Our portfolio of tier-one assets provides exposure to copper, platinum-group, zinc and other metals essential for the world’s transition to clean energy and a low-carbon economy. Our stakeholders benefit from long-life projects with low costs, low-capital intensity and leading ESG programs.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Western Foreland Copper Exploration

Ownership: Ivanhoe Mines 80-100%

Ivanhoe’s DRC exploration group is targeting Kamoa-Kakula-style copper mineralization through a regional exploration and drilling program on its Western Foreland exploration licences, located to the north, south and west of the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex. Ivanhoe controls ~2,400 km2 of exploration licences adjacent to the Kamoa-Kakula mining complex, covering a strike length of ~175 km. Exploration models that successfully led to the discoveries of Kakula, Kakula West, and the Kamoa North Bonanza Zone on the Kamoa-Kakula joint-venture mining licence are being applied to the extensive Western Foreland land package by members from exploration geologists responsible for the previous discoveries.

Ivanhoe’s initial 2023 exploration program includes up to approximately 70,000 metres of combined air core and diamond drilling, ground-based geophysics, soil sampling, and road construction. Field work will commence at the start of the 2023 dry season, which typically begins in April. The initial 2023 budget is approximately US$19 million, which may be expanded based on program results.

Exploration activities in 2023 will continue to focus on the licence-wide collection of air core samples, below the Kalahari sand cover, for geochemical targeting, as well as the ongoing refinement of geophysics data interpretation to further improve internal geological and basin models.

Mineral Resource definition drilling at Makoko is planned to further define the extent and structure of mineralization, ahead of an initial Mineral Resource estimate. In addition, hydrogeological and geotechnical studies, as well as further metallurgical test work will be conducted.

Map highlighting current exploration target areas across the Western Foreland licences, adjacent to the Kamoa-Kakula Mine