The KOV mine is a large, active open pit copper and cobalt mine near Kolwezi in Lualaba Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The site contains some of the highest grade copper ore of any mine in the world.[1] The mine is also one of the world's largest Cobalt producers.[2][3]
| Location | |
|---|---|
  KOV mine | |
| Province | Lualaba |
| Country | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Coordinates | 10°42′48″S 25°25′07″E / 10.7134°S 25.4185°E |
| Production | |
| Products | Copper Cobalt |
| Owner | |
| Company | Glencore (75%) Gécamines (25%) |
It is named after three of the five orebodies which make up the mine: Kamoto-East, Oliveira, and Virgule (the other two being Variante and FNSR).[4] The mine is run by Kamoto Copper Company, a joint venture between Glencore (75%) and Gécamines (25%).[5]
The deposits began to be exploited in 1960 by Gécamines up until 2000, when operations stopped due to flooding. Dewatering started in 2006, with mine operations restarting in March 2007.[6]
In March 2016, one of the walls of the mine collapsed, killing seven employees.[7][8]
During the fourth quarter of 2017, the mine produced 433,169 tons of ore, resulting in 9,459 tons of copper.[9]
In 2019, a second collapse at the mine killed at least 41 artisanal miners working at the site.[5] The number of miners killed was later increased to 43 as more bodies were uncovered.[10]
References
edit- ^ Vladimir Basov (2017-02-20). "The world's top 10 highest-grade copper mines". MINING.COM. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ "World's ten largest cobalt mines in 2020". Mining Technology. 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ "World's ten largest cobalt mines in 2021". Mining Technology. 2022-06-03. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ "Major Mines & Projects - KOV Mine". Mining Intelligence and News. 2017-07-10. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ a b Bujakera, Stanis; Ross, Aaron (2019-06-27). "Accident at Glencore mine kills at least 41 in Congo". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ "KOV Open Pit Mine". katangamining.com. 2020-02-17. Archived from the original on 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ Limited, Katanga Mining (2016-03-08). "Katanga Mining Announces Geotech Failure at KOV Open Pit Mine". Cision. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Cornish, Laura (2016-03-17). "Katanga Mining assumes all missing KOV staff deceased". Miningreview.com. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
- ^ Wyngaardt, Megan van (2018-02-01). "Katanga gaining traction at KOV mine in DRC". Mining Weekly. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ "REFILE-Death toll rises to 43 at Glencore mine in Congo after collapse; more expected". Reuters. 2019-06-28. Retrieved 2022-08-15.