By: Creamer media

Ivanhoe, together with State-owned Société Nationale d’Electricité (SNEL), has refurbished the turbine to ultimately provide 100 MW of power to the Kamoa-Kakula mines in the first quarter of next year and 150 MW by 2027.

The partners installed replacement mechanical and electrical equipment at the 178 MW Turbine 5 plant in the third quarter, which was followed by synchronisation and energisation of the turbine early in the fourth quarter.

The balance of power generated from the turbine is being supplied into the DRC national grid.

Ivanhoe and SNEL also undertook grid improvement works, including upgrades to the Inga and Kolwezi substations, which will enable the ramp-up of power delivery from Inga II to Kamoa-Kakula to 100 MW once completed.

By the end of 2027, the total domestically sourced renewable-energy power to the grid of the country will amount to 210 MW.

Kamoa-Kakula is the world’s fastest-growing and highest-grade major copper mine globally. The complex also boasts the lowest carbon emissions among its peers worldwide.