Canadian mining company declares force majeure

Tenke Mining Corporation of Canada has declared “force majeure” at its multi-million-dollar copper and cobalt project in Katanga, southern DRC. Tenke explained in a press release dated 23 February that the war in the DRC had undermined a feasibility study on the project, in which it has a 55-percent stake while the DRC government has the remaining 45 percent. The war, which has disrupted Katanga’s power supply and transport links, forced Tenke to halt development work at its Tenke Fungurume project late last year, according to Reuters. Force majeure is a type of legal protection invoked when unforeseen events such as war or natural disaster prevents a company from implementing a project as it should.