Kamativi invests US$200m in lithium beneficiation plant

Kamativi Mining Company (KMC) has invested more than US$200 million in a new Lithium Sulphate Project in Matabeleland North Province, marking a major step in Zimbabwe's drive to increase local mineral beneficiation and value addition.

The project aligns with the Government's policy of processing minerals locally before export, with the new plant expected to produce 75,000 tonnes of lithium sulphate annually once fully operational.

The investment follows the commissioning by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in April 2024 of the Yahua Group Kamativi Mining Company's 2.3 million-tonne spodumene mining and processing Phase One flotation plant at Kamativi.

At the time, President Mnangagwa described the facility as a significant addition to Zimbabwe's expanding lithium industry.

Zimbabwe is regarded as one of Africa's leading lithium producers and is increasingly positioning itself among major global producers alongside countries such as Australia, Chile, China, Argentina and Brazil.

The latest investment includes the construction of a lithium sulphate processing plant, a smelter and a sulphuric acid plant, with commissioning targeted for July 2027.

Special Adviser to the President on the Implementation and Monitoring of Government Programmes, Dr Joram Gumbo, toured the mine on Friday to assess progress on the project, where site clearing and civil works are already underway.

Kamativi Mining Company general manager Jack Ye said construction had commenced and expressed confidence that the project would significantly enhance the company's value addition capacity.

"We have already started our value addition project. We will construct our lithium sulphate project now; it's under construction, and we hope we can get into operation by next year," Ye said.

"It is set to process 350,000 tonnes of the concentrates, that is our full capacity of the lithium concentrates into lithium sulphates, and we invested almost US$200 million to construct this project."

He said civil works were progressing while major equipment had already been delivered to the site.

"For the timelines, now we're doing the civil construction, and the equipment is now on the site; it has already been delivered, and we will start our installation by the end of the fourth quarter of this year.

"We hope that it can be completed by the end of the first quarter of next year. Because of delays in shipments, there might be some delays, but we will try our best," Ye said.

Dr Gumbo commended the investment, describing it as a model that other mining companies should emulate.

"This company is responding to the Government's call to value-add and beneficiate our minerals. As a lithium producer, they have invested more than US$200 million towards a new processing plant," he said.

"If this company's model could be adopted by other companies, then definitely the mining sector would be contributing a lot to the communities where they operate."

He also suggested that provincial mining conferences be introduced to showcase corporate social responsibility initiatives undertaken by mining companies.

"One would even want to suggest and say that there should be provincial conferences where miners actually showcase what they are doing for their communities and even provide certificates to say that you are doing well for the community where you are operating," Gumbo said.

"In general, we have been very impressed with what we have seen here at Kamativi Mining Company."

In addition to the lithium sulphate project, KMC is developing a Tin-Niobium-Tantalum Separation Project to improve mineral recovery and an Amblygonite Concentrate Separation Project aimed at enhancing the quality and commercial value of spodumene concentrate. The latter project is expected to be commissioned in September this year.

The investment comes after the Government imposed an indefinite ban on the export of raw lithium and other unprocessed minerals earlier this year, a move intended to promote local beneficiation and maximise returns from Zimbabwe's mineral resources.

Mines and Mining Development Minister Dr Polite Kambamura has said the ban was introduced in the national interest to curb leakages and ensure Zimbabwe derives greater value from its minerals.

Kamativi Mine, once one of Zimbabwe's largest tin producers, ceased operations in 1994 following a collapse in global tin prices.

The mine was revived in 2019 as a lithium operation through a joint venture between Sichuan PD Technology Group, a subsidiary of China's Yahua Group, and local partner Kamativi Tin Mines (Private) Limited, owned by Defold Mine (Private) Limited.

KMC currently employs 419 permanent workers and 195 security personnel. The company expects its workforce to double once the new beneficiation project reaches full production.

Its Phase I processing plant, with an annual capacity of 300,000 tonnes of raw ore and 50,000 tonnes of concentrate, was launched in 2023, while the larger Phase II facility, capable of processing two million tonnes of ore and producing 300,000 tonnes of concentrate annually, commenced operations in 2024.