Tenke Fungurume copper/cobalt project, DRC

The Tenke Fungurume copper/cobalt deposits comprise one of the world's largest know copper/cobalt resources, and are capable of being developed into a large-scale, long-life, low-cost mine. The mining method will be openpit, using conventional methods in waste and a continuous miner in ore to maximise operating efficiencies and to minimize dilution of the high-grade material. The power supply will come from the DRC national grid, which is owned by SNEL the state electricity generator. The mine also had good infrastructure in that it was located near a main road and was near the transmission lines of the DRC's main electricity grid. The mine, could contain the largest, undeveloped, high-grade copper/cobalt deposit in the world, will produce an average of 250 million pounds of copper and 18 million pounds of cobalt a year. May now cost about $1,9 billion to build, nearly double the October 2007 estimate of $1 billion.