Kamoto Mine
The Kamoto Mine is an underground copper and cobalt mine to the west of Musonoi in Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The exploitation rights are owned by the Kamoto Copper Company, a joint venture between Katanga Mining and the state-owned Gécamines.
Gécamines began operations in the Kamoto underground mine in 1969.
The mine produced three million tonnes of ore annually in the 1980s.
Before it closed in October 1990 it had produced 59.3 million tonnes of ore, with an grade of 4.21% copper and 0.37% cobalt.
In November 2006 a feasibility study confirmed that the mine could be reopened at relatively low cost given its capacity.
The required work included purchase of a new trackless equipment fleet, upgrades to pumping and ventilation equipment and some maintenance of the other infrastructure. The plan was to use a combination of the traditional room-and-pillar mining system and the more modern and effective longhole retreat stoping technique. The concentrator and Luilu metallurgical plant would be progressively upgraded as increasing amounts of ore became available.
