Zimbabwe prepares $330 million lithium processing plant
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Expansão
Zimbabwe is preparing to build a lithium processing plant in Sandawana, at a cost of up to $330 million. The project is to process three million tonnes of ore a year and involves Chinese investors, according to Expansão, citing New Zimbabwe.
State-owned mining company Mutapa Energy Resources (MER) has begun preparations for a lithium processing plant in Sandawana, Zimbabwe, with an investment of up to $330 million. The project is expected to process three million tonnes of ore a year and will be financed by a consortium of investors including Chinese partners, according to Expansão.
The project follows the failure of an initial attempt due to a lack of financing and comes nine months after the announcement, on 25 February, of a ban on exports of raw lithium ore and concentrate. The Zimbabwean government is seeking to promote local processing of the ore, which is used notably in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles. The individual financial commitments of the partners have not been published, Expansão reports, citing the New Zimbabwe newspaper.
Lithium exports resumed in April after written commitments were made concerning deadlines for the construction of lithium sulphate units. The government plans to reinstate the ban in January 2027, but available industrial capacity remains insufficient to process all production locally, according to Expansão, citing Energy News Network. In August, the specialist portal reported that only Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe, a subsidiary of China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, had completed construction of a processing plant.
