CMOC to Expand Kisanfu Copper Mine with US$1.08 Billion Board Approval

Chinese mining giant CMOC has announced a major milestone in its African operations after securing board approval for a US$1.08 billion expansion of the Kisanfu copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As Africa’s leading copper producer and the world’s second-largest overall, the DRC continues to attract large-scale foreign investments, particularly from China, amid growing global demand for copper driven by the clean energy transition and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The expansion project is designed to raise Kisanfu’s annual copper production by an impressive 100,000 tonnes. Construction and development are expected to take approximately two years, with full operations set to commence by 2027. CMOC’s investment forms part of a broader wave of Chinese involvement in the DRC’s mining landscape, complementing parallel projects undertaken by major firms like Zijin Mining and JinChuan Group. This initiative aligns with China’s strategic efforts to secure access to critical minerals essential for electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and digital infrastructure.

Under the company’s “Project 95,” the Kisanfu mine will also undergo significant technical optimization to improve copper recovery at its concentrators, an enhancement projected to add a further 30,000 tonnes of refined copper each year. This expansion is particularly timely given the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) warning that global copper supply could face a 40% deficit by 2035, as renewable energy and electrification drive an unprecedented surge in demand. In 2024, the DRC exported 3.1 million tonnes of copper, reflecting a 13% year-on-year increase and underlining its growing prominence in global supply chains.

Economically, the Kisanfu expansion will not only reinforce the DRC’s position as a key supplier of critical minerals but also generate substantial state revenue through its partnership with the state-owned company Gécamines. As China remains the DRC’s largest copper importer, this development is set to deepen bilateral trade ties and further integrate Africa into the global energy transition value chain. Ultimately, CMOC’s investment strengthens the DRC’s standing as a central player in the future of sustainable industrialization and mineral-driven growth.

Mini-Glossary

• Concentrator: A facility where mined ore is processed to increase the concentration of valuable minerals, such as copper.
• Energy transition: The global shift from fossil fuels to renewable and sustainable energy sources.
• Gécamines: A state-owned mining company in the DRC that holds stakes in many of the country’s mineral projects.
• Critical minerals: Raw materials essential for manufacturing technologies like batteries, solar panels, and electronics.