Kamoto Copper Company (KCC) has timidly resumed the export and sale of its cobalt since April 25, 2019. This marketing has been suspended since November 2018 because of the detection of uranium, at levels exceeding the acceptable limit, in the cobalt hydroxide produced by this joint venture owned 25% by Gécamines and 75% by the Glencore group through its Congolese subsidiary Katanga Mining.

This timid recovery concerns a limited amount of cobalt certified compliant with both national and international transport regulations on uranium levels.

« The low levels of radioactivity detected to date in uranium pose no risk to health and safety. With interim operational solutions, as of March 31, 2019, KCC had generated approximately 930 tonnes of cobalt contained since January 2019, which complied with applicable regulations. This represents about 22.5% of total cobalt production since January 2019, « said an official statement on April 29, 2019.

However, says the company, this recovery in exports remains subject to change based on the DRC’s regular export procedures, which include ongoing monitoring by CGEA and the relevant mining authorities.

The two partners in this joint venture, namely Katanga Mining and Gécamines, are continuing their collaboration with the DRC Ministry of Mines and the Congolese Atomic Energy Agency (CGEA) on a long-term technical solution, which aims at installation of an ion exchange plant.

« Subject to (i) obtaining the necessary authorizations for the ion exchange plant and (ii) completion of a feasibility study including the detailed technical design of this plant, construction should begin in Q2 2019 and last about 9 months. The purchase of long lead items for the ion exchange plant has been approved by the boards of directors of the Company’s and KCC’s partners, « the statement said.

In the meantime, KCC also continues to explore various alternative interim solutions, both operational and regulatory, to enable it to resume the export and sale of a significant amount of cobalt.

In the fourth quarter of 2018, KCC announced the temporary suspension of the export and sale of cobalt due to the presence of detected uranium in cobalt hydroxide at levels exceeding the acceptable limit for export of the product through major African ports.

In addition, KCC’s first quarter 2019 statistics confirm that the number of copper cathodes has reached 57,175 tonnes to date, compared to 49,770 tonnes in the fourth quarter of 2018. As for cobalt hydroxide, it is from 4 646 tonnes in the fourth quarter of 2018 to 3 511 tonnes in the first quarter of 2019.

Eric TSHIKUMA