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Ivanhoe Mines published an updated mineral resource estimate on 8 September for the Makoko District in its Western Forelands exploration area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The company said contained copper had increased by about 30% from its 2025 estimate to nearly 12 million tonnes.
For the Makoko District, the estimate reports 34 million tonnes grading 2.66% copper in the Indicated category and 612 million tonnes grading 1.80% in the Inferred category, at a 1% copper cut-off. These categories represent different levels of geological confidence and cannot be added or described as reserves.
The update incorporates approximately 64,000 metres of diamond drilling since the previous estimate. The data cut-off is 31 March 2026; Ivanhoe said results from later drilling may feed into a further update in 2027. The company put the total 2026 drilling programme at 94,500 metres.
Ivanhoe said it prepared the estimate under CIM 2014 definitions and constrained it using mineable shape optimization, which applies practical underground mining geometries. Mineral resources do not have demonstrated economic viability as reserves; the figures here are attributed to the company’s announcement.