Posted on 12 Jun 2025
Zimbabwe is set to ban the export of lithium concentrates from 2027 as it eyes ramping up local processing, according to mines minister Winston Chitando.
The southern African country is one of the world’s top lithium producers and one of the three largest exporters of lithium concentrate to China. It first banned the export of unprocessed lithium ores in 2022.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Chitando said Bikita Minerals and Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe (PLZ) are currently developing plants to process lithium concentrates into lithium sulphate – a key component used in cathode materials. Chinese company Sinomine Resource Group owns Bikita – believed to be the largest lithium mine in Zimbabwe, while PLZ is owned by Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, Kallanish understands.
“These are value addition facilities which will add value from lithium concentrates to lithium sulphate,” Chitando said. “We are moving as a country towards producing or upgrading… our lithium production, where we will have sulphate, which among its other uses is a direct input into battery making.”
“Because of that capacity which is now in the country, the export of all lithium concentrates will be banned from January 2027,” the minister added, without elaborating.
Sinomine, which acquired Bikita in 2022, last year said it would invest $500 million to build a lithium smelter in the country in the next 3-5 years. Meanwhile, Huayou started the construction of the 50,000-tonne lithium sulphate plant at its Arcadia mine last January. It is unclear when the facilities will come online.
Last year, Chinese firms Huayou Cobalt and Tsingshan partnered with Zimbabwean state-owned Kuvimba Mining House to develop a $250-300 million lithium mining project in the southern African country. Other Chinese players such as Chengxin Lithium Group and Yahua Group also have lithium operations in Zimbabwe.
Source:Kallanish
