The stage two dewatering of the Kakula Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo has commenced on schedule, which means that Kamoa-Kakula’s 2026 and 2027 copper production guidance will now be issued once stage two dewatering activities are more advanced.
Three out of the four stage two high-capacity, submersible pumps were recently installed and commissioned on schedule. Kamoa-Kakula’s engineering team expect to have all four tage two pumps operating within the coming days, operating at a combined pumping rate of approximately 2,600 litres per second. Since the commissioning of the three stage two pumps, the underground water level in the Kakula Mine has dropped vertically by 10 metres, out of a total of approximately 80 metres.
Once all four stage two high-capacity, submersible pumps are operational, the existing atage one 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 approximately 6,400 litres per second, or 550 megalitres per day, reducing the vertical underground water level by approximately one metre per day. The majority of the stage two dewatering of the Kakula Mine is expected to be complete by the end of November 2025, which is when the underground water level is expected to reach near the bottom of the stage two dewatering shafts.
As the underground water level falls, the underground mining team have already started systematically rehabilitating the newly dewatered areas of the Kakula Mine. The team is initially focused on rehabilitating the areas required for repositioning the Stage One underground pumping infrastructure.