Chinese investor to establish lithium sulphate plant in Zimbabwe

ZVISHAVANE-based Zheli Mining is planning to establish a lithium sulphate plant in the Midlands Province by December 2026 as the company intensifies efforts to beneficiate lithium locally, with equipment for the facility already in transit.

The development marks the next phase of the Chinese miner's operations, following an investment of about US$15 million since it established operations in Zimbabwe in 2024.

Zheli Mining is currently processing lithium ore supplied by Sandawana Mine, which is owned by Mutapa Energy Resources, upgrading low-grade material into higher-grade concentrate for export.

Speaking on the sidelines of a media tour organised by the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) in Zvishavane last week, Zheli Mining operations manager Ding Xin Jie said the planned plant would enable further processing of the mineral.

"We are planning to set up a lithium sulphate somewhere in Midlands Province for further beneficiation," Ding said through an interpreter.

"As for the timelines of establishing a sulphate plant, we are expecting anytime in December this year and the equipment for the sulphate plant is already in transit."

He said the project would be undertaken in partnership with several Chinese companies, whose identities would be disclosed once the arrangements had been finalised.

Established in 2024, Zheli Mining commenced operations in August 2025 and currently focuses on processing low-grade lithium ore from Sandawana Mine.

General manager Kudakwashe Zimondi said the company's operations centred on upgrading the quality of the material it received.

"We only process low-grade lithium ores, and the idea is to magnify the grade into a higher grade," Zimondi said.

The processing plant currently operates two production lines with a combined feeding capacity of 900 tonnes per day. Management expects capacity to exceed 1 000 tonnes per day once the recently completed second line reaches full production.

Ding said the company's current recovery rate stood at 20 percent, while Government had allocated it a five percent quota for the production and export of lithium concentrate.

The company has also stockpiled between 25 and 30 tonnes of lithium ore from Sandawana as it prepares for the rainy season, when deteriorating road conditions can complicate transportation and access to supplies.

Besides lithium concentrate, the operation recovers small quantities of iron fines from the ore.

However, electricity shortages remain a significant operational challenge, with the company spending between US$150 000 and US$200 000 monthly on electricity.

"Electricity affects us a lot," Ding said, adding that the company was considering establishing a solar power plant to reduce its reliance on the national grid.

Zimbabwe has been encouraging mining companies to move beyond exporting raw minerals and invest in domestic processing and beneficiation, particularly in the lithium sector.

The planned sulphate plant would represent a further step towards that objective, potentially allowing more value to be captured locally from the country's lithium resources.