Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. an Update on Operational Activities At the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex

Published: 2025-06-12 07:20:56 ET IVN.TO

Published on 06/12/2025 at 07:20

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. an update on operational activities at the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex, including preliminary geotechnical findings relating to underground seismic activity experienced at the Kakula Mine, as first announced on May 20, 2025. Underground mining on the western side of the Kakula Mine has resumed in a safe and conservative manner, with equipment and mining crews returning underground on June 7, 2025. The short-term mine plan for the western side of Kakula has been updated to include recommendations from the preliminary findings.

Mining activities in the eastern side of the Kakula Mine are expected to start imminently, with activities solely focused on developing access drives to a new mining area east of the existing mine workings. Development to the new mining area will be isolated from the dewatering activities on the same side of the mine. As announced on June 2, 2025, additional underground pumping capacity was installed at the Kakula Mine, stabilizing underground water levels.

The frequency of seismic activity has decreased since first reported on May 18, 2025. Dewatering the eastern side of the Kakula Mine is expected to commence in August 2025 and be complete during the fourth quarter. Recommendations from the preliminary geotechnical findings from world-leading experts have been included in the short-term mine plans for the Kakula Mine to ensure a safe restart of underground operations.

Concurrently, medium- and long- term mine plans are under review by Kamoa-Kakula management, together with technical consultants. The Phase 1 and 2 concentrators continue to operate at approximately 50% of their combined operating capacity, processing ore from surface stockpiles. The processing rate of the concentrators will ramp up throughout the remainder of 2025, as mining on the western side of the Kakula Mine increases, supplemented by feed from ore stockpiles.

Mining operations at the Kamoa underground mine, as well as ore processing at the adjacent Phase 3 concentrator, continue to outperform. With the necessary copper concentrate expected to be available, the on-site copper smelter is anticipated to start up in September, with first anode expected in October 2025. Although water inflow rates into the Kakula Mine modestly increased following the initial seismic activity, they have since stabilized at approximately 4,000 litres per second.

With existing underground pumping infrastructure impacted by the seismic activity, a total of approximately 4,400 litres per second of additional underground pumping capacity was installed, stabilizing underground water levels. The new pump stations feed into the existing central pumping infrastructure, where the water is then pumped to surface at four locations near the bottom of the north and south twin declines. With water levels stabilized, mining in the western side of the Kakula Mine has restarted.

Mobile equipment and mining crews, which were evacuated from the mine on May 18, 2025, are returning underground, with the first blast having occurred on June 7, 2025. Short-term mine plans have been updated to include the recommendations from the preliminary geotechnical findings. Kamoa-Kakula's mining crews aim to ramp up mining from the western side of the Kakula Mine to approximately 300,000 tonnes per month (3.6 million tonnes per year on an annualized basis) during the second half of 2025, subject to underground conditions.

For the remainder of 2025, Kakula's underground mining crews will focus on three activities: ramping up mining on the western side of the Kakula Mine; developing a new mining area on the eastern side of the Kakula Mine; and ramping up production from the Kamoa mining area. The additional mining crews deployed to the Kamoa mining area, approximately 10 kilometres north of Kakula, will assist the existing teams with underground development, as well as decline development from the construction of a new box cut planned at the Kansoko Mine. The new box cut will enable increased production from Kansoko, providing an additional source of ore for the Phase 1 and Phase 2 concentrators.

Mining in the eastern side of the Kakula Mine will follow a new mine plan, prioritizing development to a new mining area further east, beyond the existing mine workings. The new mining area will be separated from the existing mine workings by a barrier pillar. The barrier pillar is designed to protect the new mining area from any potential spread of geotechnical instability from the existing mining area.