KEFI Gold and Copper is moving its Tulu Kapi Gold Project in western Ethiopia further into the execution phase, with community resettlement, equipment procurement and contractor mobilisation progressing alongside initial physical works at the site.
The project remains scheduled to begin commissioning in late 2027, with full production targeted for mid-2028. Reaching these milestones will depend on continued delivery across construction, financing and resettlement, making progress during the current development phase important to reducing execution risk as the project moves towards large-scale construction.
The first phase of the Resettlement Action Plan has reached a significant stage, with all compensation agreements completed and around 90% of compensation payments made. This phase covers land required for early infrastructure, including the airstrip, processing plant site, electrical substation and construction camp.
Preparations have also started for the second phase of resettlement, which covers areas required for pre-production drilling, open-pit mining and processing activities. Replacement housing is under construction, with temporary accommodation being arranged where required.
More than half of the project’s major processing equipment has either been ordered or is ready for ordering. The equipment includes the semi-autogenous grinding mill, crusher systems, gold recovery equipment, water treatment facilities and other processing plant infrastructure.
Early ordering of major equipment is relevant to the overall construction timetable because long-lead items can influence the sequencing of mine development and plant installation.
Contractor mobilisation is progressing in parallel. Lycopodium, Ethiopian Electric Power, the Ethiopian Roads Administration and BCM are mobilising personnel, subcontractors and operating systems for work at Tulu Kapi. Physical development completed or under way includes replacement housing, an electrical substation and a new access road connecting the site with the main bitumen highway.
KEFI Gold and Copper plc (LON:KEFI) is an exploration and development company focused on gold and copper deposits in the highly prospective Arabian-Nubian Shield. The Company operates in Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia with projects including Tulu Kapi project, Jibal Qutman EL and Hawiah.
