Mutanda Mining is a copper-cobalt mine in Lualaba province, Democratic Republic of Congo. It is owned 100 percent by Glencore. At full production, it generates approximately 300,000 tonnes of copper cathode per year and a significant cobalt hydroxide co-product volume. It was placed on care and maintenance in 2019 and returned to production in 2022.
What the project is
Mutanda operates open-pit mining of copper-cobalt oxide ore, processed through solvent extraction–electrowinning (SX-EW) circuits to produce copper cathode. Cobalt hydroxide is produced as a co-product of the copper processing circuit. The mine is located in Lualaba province, approximately 60 kilometres south of Kolwezi.
Ownership
Glencore plc owns 100 percent of Mutanda Mining SARL. No third-party partner or state entity holds a stake in Mutanda beyond the standard fiscal obligations to the DRC government under the Mining Code (royalties, corporate tax, super-profits tax where applicable).
Why Mutanda matters
Mutanda is one of the world's larger single sources of industrial cobalt when operating at full capacity. Its care-and-maintenance period from 2019 to 2022 demonstrated directly how a production decision at a single DRC mine can affect the global cobalt supply-demand balance. The restart in 2022, combined with CMOC's TFM/KFM expansion, contributed to the cobalt supply surplus that put downward pressure on cobalt prices in 2023–2024.
