Canadian miner Ivanhoe Mines is in talks to supply zinc from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the United States under Washington’s strategic metals stockpiling initiative, known as Project Vault, as the U.S. seeks to secure critical mineral supply chains. The discussions involve Congo’s state miner Gécamines and commodities trader Mercuria, Reuters reported.
Project Vault is designed to build a strategic reserve of metals deemed vital to national security and advanced manufacturing, including zinc, germanium and gallium. The initiative is backed by private capital and financing support from the U.S. Export-Import Bank, as Washington looks to reduce reliance on Chinese supply for key industrial inputs.
Under the proposed arrangement, Mercuria would transfer its offtake rights for zinc concentrate from Ivanhoe’s Kipushi mine to a trading arm controlled by Gécamines, while continuing to market additional volumes as output ramps up. Ivanhoe said Gécamines could eventually handle up to half of Kipushi’s zinc concentrate production, including shipments to the U.S. market.
Kipushi, one of the world’s highest-grade zinc deposits, is expected to produce between 240,000 and 290,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate this year. Analysts say the move highlights growing U.S. interest in African critical minerals and underscores the DRC’s rising role in global efforts to diversify strategic supply chains.
