Zimbabwe’s government has set out proposals to build battery-manufacturing plants as part of a “lithium beneficiation” programme.
The minister for local government, public works and national housing, July Moyo (pictured), said an unspecified number of plants would be built in the country’s central Midlands Province— spurred by renewed lithium mining activity.
The province hosts Zimbabwe’s third largest city, Gweru, which Moyo said was originally home to the Kariba Batteries company— and which is now based in South Africa producing a range of lead-acid products for the region.
Moyo did not indicate a possible construction schedule or say what government support might be made available for the proposals.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s ZimTech Review reported that the country’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, would preside over a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the start of mining operations at the Arcadia Lithium Mine in Arcturus, Goromonzi on 30 November 2018.
BEST Battery Briefing reported earlier this year Zimbabwe had issued a lithium mining lease to Prospect Resources, the Australia-listed Africa focused mining company, for the Arcadia mine— putting the nation in play as a battery materials supplier.
Prospect said on 19 November it had completed a definitive feasibility study for the 2.4 Mtpa ‘base case development’ of its 87%-owned Arcadia project, outside the city of Harare.
According to the study, the life-of-mine project revenue is valued at US$2.93 billion excluding tantalum credits and project average annual EBITDA of $106 million over an estimated 12-year mine life.