Africa’s Biggest Copper Mine Goes Solar

Key Figures & Findings: Kamoa Copper, the operator of Africa’s largest and fastest-growing copper mine, has signed a landmark baseload solar power agreement with CrossBoundary Energy. The project will bring 30 MW of round-the-clock clean energy to the Kamoa-Kakula complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) through a 222 MW solar PV plant and a 526 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). This marks one of the continent’s first large-scale solar+BESS solutions designed to deliver guaranteed baseload power to heavy industry. CrossBoundary will finance, build, own, and operate the facility under a long-term PPA. Kamoa Copper is a joint venture between Ivanhoe Mines, Zijin Mining Group, and the DRC government.

Statistics & Insights: The new plant will deliver 300,000 MWh of clean power annually—, eeting 8–10% of Kamoa-Kakula’s energy needs—. It will alsocut carbon emissions by approximately 78,750 tonnes per year. The project is expected to lower energy costs compared to diesel generation, replacing up to 60 million liters of fuel over 10 years.

Future Implications: This project could set a new benchmark for baseload renewables in heavy industry across the region, challenging the dominance of diesel in large-scale mining. By 2026, if successful, similar hybrid systems may be adopted in other energy-constrained mining regions.

Source: Mining Weekly