China Railway Contemplates Huge Grand-Kasai Copper Mine in DRC
On 6 May 2026, China Railway Resources Universal (CRRU) met with the Ministry of Mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to discuss a new copper mining project in the eastern region of Grand Kasai province. The project would be a joint venture between CRRU, a subsidiary of China Railway Group (CRECG), and Société Minière de Bakwanga (MIBA), a DRC’s state-owned mining company.
Minister Louis Kabamba assured the investors that the project has the full support of the Presidency. In fact, President Felix Tshisekedi has instructed that the project be fast-tracked to bring about real mutual benefits. The typical lifecycle of a mining project can be compressed from decades to years, without compromising on #ESG.
The company plans to produce between 200,000 and 500,000 tonnes of copper annually. If the output reaches the upper end of this range, it would make it one of the largest #copper mines in the world. China Railway also plans to beef up generation capacity up to 500 MW, favoring renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric or photovoltaic sources, to power the copper smelter.
China Railway has been present in the DRC’s mining sector via Comilu and Sicomines, which produces about 250,000 tonnes of copper annually. The largest copper mine in DRC is the Tenke Fungurume Mine (TFM) operated by China Molybdenum (CMOC), with an annual output of 520,000 tonnes per annum. The world’s largest copper mine is the Escondida Copper Mine in Chile, which produces one million tonnes of copper every year.
Whereas most copper mines are located in the Katanga Province, this new mine is found in Grand Kasai Province, which is better known for diamond mining. Thus, it would not be surprising if diamonds were an important by-product of the copper mining. As a matter of fact, polymetallic mining is a common feature of mining in the DRC.
At the moment, the project is still in the preliminary negotiation phase, as no resource estimates, ore grade, or feasibility studies appear to be available. No project cost estimate was also disclosed, but such a large undertaking would probably necessitate Foreign Direct Investment (#FDI) in the billions of dollars.