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Africa’s largest copper mining complex has started receiving round-the-clock electricity from a 233-megawatt-peak solar farm and one of the continent’s biggest battery-storage systems.
The facility at the Kamoa-Kakula Copper Complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo reached commercial operation on August 12, according to CrossBoundary Energy, which announced the development on August 25.
It combines the solar farm with a battery capable of storing 526 megawatt-hours of electricity. The system is designed to provide at least 30 megawatts of continuous power, including when the sun is not shining.
CrossBoundary described it as Africa’s first operational solar and battery facility designed to provide baseload electricity at this scale. The company also said it was completed faster than any comparable African project.
Those claims have not been independently verified.
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The project moved from the signing of its power-purchase agreement in April 2025 to commercial operation in 16 months. CrossBoundary cited industry research indicating that comparable utility-scale African solar and battery projects take an average of approximately 29 months.
Powering one of the world’s biggest copper operations
Kamoa-Kakula is owned by Canada’s Ivanhoe Mines, China’s Zijin Mining, Crystal River Global and the Congolese government.
Ivanhoe and Zijin each hold an indirect 39.6% interest, the DRC government owns 20% and Crystal River holds the remaining 0.8%.
The complex produced approximately 388,800 tonnes of copper in 2025 and generated revenue of $3.28 billion. It ranks among the world’s largest and highest-grade copper operations.
Its new on-site smelter can process 500,000 tonnes of copper annually, making it the largest copper smelter in Africa.
Reliable electricity is therefore essential to the mine’s production and expansion plans.
Kamoa-Kakula already receives much of its electricity from hydropower. However, instability within the DRC’s electricity system has previously forced the mine to use diesel generators and import power from neighbouring countries.
The new battery system can store solar electricity during the day and release it when production from the panels falls. This allows the facility to provide a fixed supply rather than electricity only during daylight hours.
CrossBoundary said the arrangement would reduce Kamoa-Kakula’s exposure to diesel-price volatility and disruptions affecting fuel supplies.
The company did not disclose the project’s construction cost or the price Kamoa Copper will pay for its electricity.
Mine plans to double solar supply
The newly operational CrossBoundary facility is one part of a larger renewable-energy programme at Kamoa-Kakula.
Ivanhoe said earlier in 2026 that two privately funded solar and battery projects at the complex would eventually provide a combined 60 megawatts of baseload power.
Together, the two facilities are expected to include 433 MWp of solar panels and 1,107 MWh of battery storage.
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Kamoa-Kakula plans to double its on-site solar baseload supply to 120 megawatts by the end of 2027 as it works towards producing approximately 500,000 tonnes of copper annually from 2028.
The expansion comes as copper becomes increasingly important to electricity grids, electric vehicles, data centres and renewable-energy infrastructure.
The DRC is already one of the world’s most important copper and cobalt producers, but inadequate electricity and transport infrastructure continue to restrict the country’s ability to benefit fully from growing global demand.
Kamoa-Kakula’s privately funded power projects illustrate how large mining companies are increasingly building or financing their own energy infrastructure instead of waiting for national grids to expand.
They also show the scale of energy required to extract and process the minerals underpinning the global transition away from fossil fuels.
The new solar facility does not power the entire Kamoa-Kakula operation. Its guaranteed 30-megawatt contribution represents one part of the mining complex’s electricity supply, alongside hydropower, imported electricity and other backup sources.
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