Against the backdrop of global energy transition, growing demand for critical minerals, and the restructuring of global industrial supply chains, the mining industry is evolving from resource development toward greater industrial integration and collaboration. With a deep-rooted presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Yite Group is advancing from simply developing resources to leveraging and managing them more effectively, and from building individual mines to developing an integrated industrial ecosystem.
In 2026, with newly added mining resources and the successive commissioning of projects in photovoltaic power generation, roasting, sulfuric acid production, and other areas, Yite Group is steadily building an integrated industrial system covering resource extraction, ore processing and smelting, green energy, and the supply of auxiliary materials and essential inputs.
I. From Resource Development to Industrial Synergy
Yite is a company with long-term competitiveness, supported not only by stable resource reserves, but also by strong capabilities in resource development, processing, energy supply, and industrial synergy. Following the commissioning of three major projects in 2026, Yite has established a comprehensive internal industrial chain: its mining operations secure a reliable resource base; the integration of roasting and hydrometallurgical processes expands resource processing capacity; sulfuric acid production ensures the supply of critical raw materials and auxiliary materials; and the new energy photovoltaic project strengthens energy self-sufficiency. Together, these capabilities have created a fully integrated and internally synergistic industrial chain.
II. Making Green Power a Strategic Pillar of Industrial Resilience
Against the backdrop of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s underdeveloped energy infrastructure and substantial power supply deficit, Yite Group has made renewable energy development a strategic priority in optimizing its energy mix and strengthening energy security for its mining operations. The Group has proactively pursued an integrated development model that combines green power generation with mining production systems. Guided by Yite Group’s industrial development strategy and the actual energy demands of its operations, NARI-RELAYS, as the project’s design institute, provided comprehensive engineering and technical support, facilitating the successful implementation of the project. The project achieved full commercial operation in 2026.
The project is the world’s first mine-based, grid-forming source-grid-load-storage system capable of operating in both grid-connected and islanded modes under weak-grid conditions. It also represents the largest operational independent source-grid-load-storage power system in the global mining industry to date, the industry’s first highly resilient smart grid, and a benchmark project for the integrated deployment of large-scale, grid-connected and islandable renewable energy systems for overseas mining operations. The project currently has 440 MW of installed solar PV capacity and 900 MWh of energy storage capacity. Upon completion of a further 220 MWh expansion, its total energy storage capacity will reach 1.12 GWh. Under full-load operating conditions, the mine and its production operations can achieve 100% self-sufficiency in green electricity. The system can generate 750 million kWh of clean electricity annually, save approximately 240,000 tonnes of standard coal, and reduce carbon emissions by approximately 600,000 tonnes per year, placing the project at the forefront of emissions reduction in the DRC’s mining industry.
Kai Peng’s integrated solar PV and energy storage system has addressed the critical challenge of instability in the SNEL power grid while substantially reducing electricity costs. The green power project’s implementation and the commercial validation of its underlying technologies were led throughout by Kai Peng, a subsidiary of Yite Group. During project development, the team faced multiple technical challenges, including a complex grid structure, highly variable operating conditions, and industrial harmonic pollution, alongside the significant pressures of a tight schedule and demanding workload. As the project’s implementing entity, Kai Peng assumed full responsibility for all upfront investment, financing costs, engineering risks, and losses arising from trial and error. To overcome the technical challenges posed by complex operating conditions, Kai Peng collected extensive data under actual mine operating conditions and successfully carried out hundreds of unplanned transitions between grid-connected and islanded modes at the project site. These efforts generated a substantial body of authentic, validated field data on grid-connected/islanded mode switching, harmonic mitigation, and coordinated multi-source power operation. The results fully demonstrated the stability and suitability of the integrated system, advancing NARI-RELAYS’ core technologies from theoretical research and laboratory development to real-world industrial and commercial application. After four months of intensive, sustained efforts, the project successfully progressed through design, construction, and commissioning to achieve full operational deployment.
Through its pioneering efforts in piloting the technology, assuming project risks, and bringing the system into commercial operation, Kai Peng has accumulated scarce engineering expertise and operational data, establishing a first-mover advantage that is difficult to replicate. These achievements provide NARI-RELAYS with the most critical and direct evidence to support the subsequent rollout of its integrated renewable energy and mining production solutions to more than 30 companies, including Zijin Mining and North Mining Corporation. They also offer valuable strategic guidance and a robust body of validated data for the implementation of similar renewable energy projects at mining operations worldwide. Forged through practical experience in the complex operating environments of overseas mining operations, this first-mover advantage has become one of Kai Peng’s most valuable and strategically significant intangible assets, underpinning its continued expansion in the DRC market and its broader ambitions in the global mining renewable energy sector.
Building on Yite Group’s strategic commitment to addressing essential industrial energy needs, advancing green energy development, and driving innovation in the integration of mining and power systems, Kai Peng will continue to explore and refine coordinated operating models that integrate renewable energy generation with mining production loads. By leveraging solar PV, energy storage, and core grid-forming control technologies, the company will further optimize the mine’s energy mix, progressively reduce its reliance on conventional energy sources, and accelerate the transition toward greener, low-carbon mining operations. These efforts will provide stable, reliable, and clean energy support for Yite Group’s integrated industrial ecosystem, enabling the coordinated development of resource extraction, green power supply, and mineral processing and smelting.
III. Process Synergy: Unlocking Greater Value from Mineral Resources
The introduction of roasting technology has enabled the establishment of an integrated process system combining roasting and hydrometallurgical production. Through the coordinated integration of roasting, sulfuric acid production, and other processing stages, the project has strengthened process-to-process synergies and provided technical support for the treatment of complex ores. This enables greater value to be extracted from mineral resources, more efficient utilization of energy, and more effective internal circulation across the industrial chain, ultimately creating a systematic value chain.
In terms of environmental protection and emissions reduction, the project’s commissioning will deliver a measurable reduction in carbon emissions.
IV. Strengthening Supply Chain Resilience through Industrial Integration
Following the commissioning of the sulfuric acid project, the company will have a stable in-house supply of industrial sulfuric acid for copper smelting, further reducing its reliance on external procurement and enhancing production coordination and supply security. This will improve the efficiency of coordination among resources, production, and supply, strengthen the integrity of the industrial chain, ensure greater stability in production, and give the company greater flexibility and resilience in responding to external changes.
V. Strengthening the Foundation for Sustainable Corporate Development
At Yite Group’s Kai Peng Mining, the company continues to improve its employee incentive mechanisms and talent development programs. In terms of safety management, it strengthens safety training, risk prevention and control, and emergency management. In resource development, it reinforces compliance with laws and regulations governing mineral resources. In environmental protection, the company embraces the philosophy of green mine development, integrating ecological protection throughout the entire life cycle of mining operations. It also implements routine measures to address environmental issues such as dust, wastewater, and solid waste, promoting the coordinated development of mineral resource extraction and ecological conservation.
VI. Deeply Rooted in the DRC and Growing Together with Local Communities
Yite Group’s Kaipeng Mining operation is deeply rooted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and its development has become closely connected with local employees, communities, and the regional economy. The Company continues to provide assistance to employees facing difficulties, support educational opportunities for employees’ children, and carry out community-oriented public welfare initiatives, ensuring that corporate development brings greater benefits to employees and gives back to society.
For employees, the Company provides not only employment opportunities but also opportunities for personal and professional growth. For local communities, the Company not only creates economic value but also assumes corresponding social responsibilities.
VII. Talent as a Key Driver of Industrial Upgrading
As Yite Group moves progressively toward the development of an integrated industrial system, its talent strategy requires not only skilled professionals on the production front line, but also outstanding professionals with expertise in technology, management, and industrial operations, together with a global perspective and a strong sense of responsibility.
In 2026, Yite Group continued to advance its management trainee development program, build a pipeline of management talent, and strengthen its internal talent development and promotion mechanisms. The Company is fostering talent through hands-on production experience, project-based training, and participation in industrial development, progressively building a high-quality workforce capable of growing alongside the Company’s industrial transformation and upgrading.
VIII. From the DRC to the Global Stage: Participating in the Reshaping of the Global Mining Value Chain
Having built a strong industrial foundation through its long-standing presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Yite Group’s Kai Peng Mining has accumulated substantial industrial capabilities and entered a new phase of development. Looking ahead, Yite Group will allocate resources from a global perspective, build capabilities through an industrial mindset, drive transformation with green power, leverage technology as a catalyst, cultivate talent as the foundation, and uphold responsibility as its guiding principle. Through these efforts, the Group will provide comprehensive support for its long-term development and strengthen its global competitiveness.
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Author: KPM MINING from KPM MINING on behalf of SHEN.
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