Because of elevated radiation levels, Congo suspends the license for a Chinese-owned mining operation

A mostly Chinese-owned mining company’s exports of copper and cobalt are suspended by the Congolese ministry of mines due to elevated radiation levels.

Overly high radiation levels prevented a Congolese copper and cobalt operation, mostly owned by China’s Zijin Mining Group Co. Ltd., from having its mineral shipments accepted. The ministry of Congolese mining informed the COMMUS project—in which Zijin still owns a 72% stake—that its license has been temporarily suspended while an investigation is conducted.

Antoinette N’Samba Kalambayi, the minister of mines, wrote, “I am informed of the return of your shipments that exported… mineral products to South Africa on the grounds that their radioactivity content exceeds the regulatory threshold.” There has been no response from COMMUS.

According to ministry data, COMMUS, which is based close to Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s south, produced 129,000 tonnes of copper and almost 2,200 tons of cobalt in 2023.

The steps of the examination were laid out in an internal ministry directive. These included confirming that COMMUS was following export protocols and evaluating any possible dangers associated with radioactive materials in the export chain.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the world’s third-largest producer of copper and the world’s top producer of cobalt, an essential component of batteries for electric vehicles and mobile phones.