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Business Reporter

KAMATIVI Mining Company (KMC) has deferred the commissioning of the second phase of its lithium processing plant, initially scheduled for June this year, to September.

KMC said the delay was caused by several challenges, including unexpected changes in maritime logistics, which has interrupted the installation process.                                                                           

The company anticipates the phase two project to deliver its first output during the last quarter of 2024.

Last year, KMC completed the construction of phase one of the processing plant, which President Mnangagwa officially commissioned on April 12, 2024.

Phase one capacity stands at 300 000 metric tonnes of ore and 50 000 metric tonnes of spodumene concentrate per year.

“While we had not anticipated delays in the final stages of phase two construction, we encountered an unforeseen change in maritime transport, leading to a slight delay in the installation process of the project.

“We have therefore deferred phase two commissioning to September 2024,” said Kamativi Mining Company in a statement.

Following construction, the commissioning phase commences, and this involves rigorous testing and verification of the processing plant’s systems, machinery, and processes to ensure they function as intended.

“It’s the final checkpoint before we operationalise our phase two spodumene plant.”

The designed ore processing capacity for the plant is set to process 2 million metric tonnes of ore into 300,000 metric tonnes of spodumene concentrate per year.

“When both phases of our processing plant are complete, we will have a combined annual production of 2,3 million metric tonnes of ore producing 350,000 metric tonnes of spodumene concentrate, and that concentrate will be exported,” KMC said.

KMC is a joint venture (JV) between Kamativi Tin Mine and Sichuan PD Technology Group, a subsidiary of a Chinese-listed entity, Yahua Group.

Kamativi Tin Mines Limited is wholly owned and controlled by Zimbabwe’s sovereign wealth fund, Mutapa Investment Fund, through Defold Mine (Private) Limited.

Yahua Group is ranked fifth in the world for being a top lithium hydroperoxide supplier and explosives.

The group has over 6 000 employees in 70 subsidiaries distributed throughout Australia, China, Ethiopia, Namibia, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe.