• Kipushi zinc output quadrupled to 203,168 tons in 2025
• Ivanhoe aims for at least 240,000 tons of zinc in 2026
• Production gains follow concentrator upgrades completed in 2025

Ivanhoe Mines quadrupled its zinc production in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2025, with 203,168 tons delivered from its Kipushi mine, up from 50,307 tons in 2024. The figures were disclosed in the Canadian miner’s annual operating results published on January 15. The company now plans to raise output at the mine to at least 240,000 tons of zinc in 2026.

The 2025 performance met Ivanhoe’s guidance, which had forecast zinc production of between 180,000 and 240,000 tons. For 2026, the company has raised its maximum production target to 290,000 tons. The ramp-up reflects engineering work launched in September 2024 to increase the throughput of the Kipushi concentrator by 20%, boosting its zinc ore processing capacity.

The optimization program was completed in early August 2025, allowing Kipushi to record a sharp increase in output during the second half of the year. In the third quarter, the mine produced 57,200 tons of zinc, followed by 61,444 tons in the fourth quarter, well above the 42,736 tons and 41,788 tons reported in the first and second quarters of 2025, respectively.

Based on the production levels reached in recent months, Ivanhoe says Kipushi now ranks as the world’s fifth-largest zinc mine. Maintaining stable operations in 2026 will be a key challenge, however, as production continues to be affected by instability in the Congolese power grid. To mitigate this risk, the company said it strengthened backup generator capacity during the fourth quarter of 2025.

Emiliano Tossou