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Martin Kadzere–Senior Business Reporter 

Zimbabwe Alloys (ZimAlloys), one of the country’s largest ferrochrome producer is looking to re-start production during the first quarter of next year, an official has said

The company owns three furnaces at its Gweru smelting complex with combined installed capacity of 120 000 tonnes per annum. 

The initial phase will see the rebuilding of its biggest furnace with capacity of producing 50 000 tonne per year, the official said. 

“Mining has already started and we are ramping up; building a stockpile to feed the furnace,” said the official who declined to be identified because is not authorised to talk to press. 

“The resuscitation of the mines should be well ahead of the smelters.” 

The country, targeting a US$12 billion mining economy by 2023, last month imposed a ban on raw chrome exports to encourage investment in value addition and boost revenues. 

Recently, the Government released land to five investors intending to establish integrated chrome mining and ferrochrome smelters. These include Amazon, which was granted 21 chrome claims on 1 545 hectares, Best Trade was granted 13 chrome claims on about 1 000 ha while Zimbabwe Alloys, whose furnace is 70 percent complete also got land exploration. Afrochine and Monachrome were granted 1 000 ha each, while Jin An’s application for nearly 4 000 hectares is being processed. 

Zimasco, a unit of China’s Sinosteel, said it is investing US$35 million in new ferrochrome smelters at its Kwekwe complex and raise capacity by 40 percent by end of 2022. 

The new furnaces will have the capacity of 72 000 tonnes per annum and will raise Zimasco’s ferrochrome production from the current 180 000 tonnes to 252 000 tonnes. 

The project will also include the construction of a 300 000 tonne per annum sinter plant.

The sinter plant will enable Zimasco to utilise its friable ore resource, which it has been unable to use because of the old technology at the existing chrome smelters. 

ZimAlloys was founded in 1949 by a consortium led by John Brown Group. In 1965, it was taken over by Anglo America Corp, which it disposed of to Benscore Investments 40 years later. 

ZimAlloys was the first company in Africa to own ferrochrome plant. 

The company holds about 20 000 hectares of chrome claims in different parts of the country, which has proven resources of 72,25 million tonne of chrome ore. 

Of its claims, only 15 percent has been explored.  

Zimbabwe holds the world’s second largest chrome ore reserves after South Africa.