On 18 June 2021, I received a mail from Mr. Peter Zhou of Ivanhoe Mines, including a letter of appreciation from Co-Chairman Mr. Robert Friedland and Mr. Yufeng Sun. I was overwhelmed with joy and excitement when I finished reading it and I could vividly recall the trials and hardships we’ve been through during the past five years.
At 16:00 of 16 November 2017, a sound of blast broke the silence of the jungle located 70 km away from Kolwezi, marking the commencement of twin decline development project at Kamoa-Kakula Copper Mine. Therefrom JCHX officially set foot in DRC mining market.
The scope of work under Phase I contract included development of a belt conveyor decline and a service decline with a total length of 3000m. It was a challenging task given the tight schedule of only 12 months. JCHX mobilized all possible resources from China and overseas to organize a team for Kamoa Project in the shortest time and to facilitate earliest commencement of works.
A team of 30 personnel was mobilized to site consisting of management and technical staff of different ages who worked from dawn to dark despite of diversified cultures, poor accommodation facilities and unpalatable food. Some even jokingly said they never got the chance to see the site in daylight. And some refuse to take a leave even when they caught malaria.
Under the support from Kamoa and with the concerted efforts, Jimond successfully achieved annual target and completed contractual obligations with satisfactory safety and quality performances, despite of several challenges caused by poor geological conditions such as water inflow from sandstone and black soil bed. Moreover, it created a new record of monthly development of 358.6 meters in large section decline.
Successful completion of Phase I contract laid a solid foundation for JCHX to sign Phase II contract – a five-year underground development project with a total value of USD 280 million. The perseverance and fearlessness spirit of JCHX were highly appreciated by the Owner.
In order to realize sooner connection of northern and southern access drives and to pave the way for the commencement of Phase I production in May, regardless of aggravated epidemic situation and challenges in manpower mobilization and material supply, the team on site managed to complete the 25km large-section underground development in merely 36 months, and realized connection of northern and southern access drives ahead of schedule, many of them even sacrificed their chances of taking annual leave. Being a member of this diligent and ambitious team makes me extremely proud.
As work progressed on site, a profound friendship was established between Kamoa and JCHX. Even though we colored up to the ears in the heated argument at the beginning in order to settle differences, now we are one family and one team in true sense and working in a healthy environment based on mutual respect and mutual learning. Through working at this world-class mine, JCHX trained and developed many talents, who are not only proficient in technique but also fluent in English and with good communication skills.
The letter of appreciation from Kamoa fully recognized our efforts and provides us with more encouragement and expectations. We will cherish our good relationship, give full play to our advantages, dedicate ourselves to the completion of Phase II expansion at Kamoa.
Attachment: Letter of Appreciation
Letter of Appreciation
To: JCHX Group Co., Ltd
Cc: Jimond Mining Management Company SARL.
Dear Chairman WANG Xiancheng,
The inception of Kamoa-Kakula’s Phase I production on May 25th, 2021 marks the birth of a world-class copper mine that will benefit generations to come. It is truly a historic moment not only for Ivanhoe Mines and Zijin Mining, but also for the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Since the commencement of the Kamoa-Kakula Project, your team has demonstrated tremendous dedication and outstanding collaboration to ensure quality and quantity in delivering various key milestones as required by Kamoa Copper. These collective efforts were highly praised by us and related stakeholders, and your unwavering commitment to the project during the mine’s development is admired and respected.
During the critical stage of bringing Phase I into production, we were faced with the challenges presented by the COVID-19 global pandemic – access of personnel was denied and supply of materials was disrupted, and not to mention operational difficulties such as complicated requirements for the construction site and tight schedules. Despite all the adversities, your team under your leadership made massive efforts to manage the progress on time, while actively coordinating with various parties, solving technical problems, as well as organizing and allocating labor resources.
With perseverance and determination, your team were able to overcome cultural differences and obstacles in reaching key project development objectives. The dedication of your team helped us achieve numerous record-breaking results, under stringent control on safety and quality on-site. Together, we have accomplished this significant milestone several months ahead of schedule and on budget, with uncompromised safety standards and outstanding quality.
On behalf of all of us at Ivanhoe Mines, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to you and your team who put their hearts and souls into this formidable undertaking. We appreciate your continuous support for the project’s upcoming development and look forward to the successful completion of the project’s Phase II expansion – leveraging the synergy of our respective advantages to attain yet another remarkable accomplishment. Last but not least, I wish you every success in your endeavors and here’s to a fruitful cooperation in the years to come!
Robert Friedland
Co-Chairman
Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.
Miles Sun
Co-Chairman
Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.
