Ivanhoe agrees to rehabilitate critical rail line in DRC

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – TSX-listed Ivanhoe Mines is preparing to rebuild the 34 km of rail track that connects the Kipushi zinc/copper/silver/germanium mine with the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC’s) national railway at Munama, south of Lubumbashi.

Under terms of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DRC State-owned railway company Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer du Congo (SNCC), Ivanhoe will start construction of the line late in 2018.

Ivanhoe will appoint consultants to undertake a front-end engineering design study to assess the scope and cost of rebuilding the spur line from the historic Kipushi mine to the main Lubumbashi–Sakania railway at Munama.

The revival of the inactive Kipushi–Munama spur line, which had been out of commission since 2011, was the most economical and reliable solution for the transportation of Kipushi’s projected 530 000 t/y of zinc concentrate production, Ivanhoe executive chairperson Robert Friedland said on Monday.

“A daily train from Kipushi will replace the equivalent of 50 road trucks, resulting in significant safety and environmental benefits to the DRC, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa; reduced road and border congestion; and decreased air pollution,” he added.

The World Bank is overseeing and financing the rehabilitation and upgrade of large sections of the main DRC national railway between Lubumbashi and the Zambia border crossing at Sakania.

Ivanhoe is aiming to bring about a “new era of production” at Kipushi, with a current mine redevelopment plan envisaging a two-year construction period with quick ramp-up to a steady-state production.