Kamativi Mining Company (KMC) has postponed the commissioning of the second phase of its lithium processing plant from June to September. The plant, with a capacity of 300,000 tonnes per annum for spodumene concentrate, is set for a trial run in July 2024.
KMC attributed the delay to various challenges, including unexpected changes in maritime logistics, which disrupted the installation process. The company expects the second phase to start producing output in the last quarter of 2024.
Last year, KMC finished constructing the first phase of the plant, which was officially commissioned by H.E President Mnangagwa on Friday 12th April, 2024. The first phase has an annual capacity of 300,000 metric tonnes of ore and 50,000 metric tonnes of spodumene concentrate.
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“We did not foresee delays in the final stages of phase two construction but faced an unexpected change in maritime transport, causing a slight delay in the installation process. Consequently, we have deferred the commissioning of phase two to September 2024,” KMC stated.
After construction, the commissioning phase includes thorough testing and verification of the plant’s systems, machinery, and processes to ensure proper functionality. “It’s the final checkpoint before we operationalize our phase two spodumene plant.”
The plant is designed to process 2 million metric tonnes of ore into 300,000 metric tonnes of spodumene concentrate annually. Upon completion of both phases, the combined annual production will be 2.3 million metric tonnes of ore, yielding 350,000 metric tonnes of spodumene concentrate for export.
KMC is a joint venture between Kamativi Tin Mine and Sichuan PD Technology Group, a subsidiary of Yahua Group. Kamativi Tin Mines Limited is owned by Zimbabwe’s sovereign wealth fund, Mutapa Investment Fund, through Defold Mine (Private) Limited.
Yahua Group, with over 6,000 employees across 70 subsidiaries in Australia, China, Ethiopia, Namibia, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe, ranks fifth globally as a top lithium hydroperoxide supplier and explosives producer.
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