Pumpi Mine
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Pumpi mine | |
| Province | Lualaba Province |
| Country | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Coordinates | 10°38′17″S 25°58′19″E / 10.638°S 25.972°E |
| Production | |
| Products | Copper, cobalt |
| Owner | |
| Company | Wanbao Mining (75%);[1] Managem (20%);[2] DRC state via Gécamines (5%)[2] |
Pumpi mine is an open-pit copper and cobalt operation located about 70 km east of Kolwezi in the Katanga Copperbelt of southern DR Congo. It is operated by Comika Mining, a joint venture in which China’s Wanbao Mining holds 75%, Morocco’s Managem Group 20% and the Congolese state mining company Gécamines 5%.[2][1]
History
The project was formally launched in March 2019, with main civil works beginning in May 2019.[3]
- First copper cathode: 13 September 2020.[2]
- First cobalt hydroxide: 12 March 2021, marking full commissioning.[1]
Geology and reserves
Pumpi comprises five ore bodies—Pumpi Nord, Pumpi Gare, Pumpi Gare Sud, Kamassami Simba and Kamassani Est—covering 27 km².[3] NI 43-101 style estimates (2021) cite 800,000 tonnes of contained copper and 100,000 tonnes of contained cobalt in proven and probable reserves.[3]
Operations
The mine uses conventional open-pit methods. Ore is processed through a 2.6 Mt per year plant (crushing, SAG/ball milling, acid leach, CCD and SX-EW) to produce:
- Copper cathode – design capacity 40 000 t / year
- Cobalt hydroxide – design capacity 5 000 t / year[3][2]
Ownership and finance
Wanbao Mining financed the bulk of the US $600 million development cost, while Managem contributes technical support and offtake for part of the cobalt stream.[4]
Economic and social impact
The mine employs about 1,200 workers (2024), with Wanbao stating that 95% are Congolese nationals.[1] Pumpi’s commissioning coincided with strong global demand for battery metals, contributing to record cobalt prices in 2021.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e Daly, Tom (15 March 2021). "China's Wanbao Mining produces first cobalt hydroxide in Congo". Reuters. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Xu, Anna (17 September 2020). "Wanbao Mining's DRC Pumpi project produces first batch of copper cathode". Fastmarkets. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Pumpi Copper-Cobalt Mine, Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo". NS Energy Business. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
- ^ "Pumpi Project". Managem. Retrieved 13 July 2025.