Ivanhoe's giant Makoko copper discovery expands by 30%

Ivanhoe Mines is accelerating development plans for its Makoko District in the Democratic Republic of Congo after increasing the scale of the giant discovery by 30% from its 2025 estimate to approximately 12 million tonnes of contained copper, with further upside expected from ongoing drilling.

The Canadian miner announced Tuesday that the Makoko District, part of its Western Forelands project, now hosts 42 million tonnes of indicated resources grading 2.66% copper and 612 million tonnes of inferred resources grading 1.8% copper.

The updated resource figures reinforce Ivanhoe's strategy to advance what it describes as the largest and highest-grade copper discovery globally over the past decade.

Ivanhoe plans to initiate a scoping study for Makoko in the first quarter of 2027, while concurrently expanding its drilling program to support accelerated project development.