A MASSIVE US$270 million lithium processing plant, set to become the largest of its kind in Zimbabwe, is now awaiting only Cabinet approval to break ground, Kuvimba Mining House (KMH) said this week.
The project, located at KMH’s Sandawana Mines in Mberengwa, is poised to position Zimbabwe as a significant player in the global battery metals market.
KMH chief executive officer Trevor Barnard revealed at a company strategy launch on Wednesday that all build, operate and transfer (BOT) agreements with international investors have been finalised, clearing the main commercial hurdle.
“So, from an agreement perspective, everything is done and everything is in place and the next step is now to actually complete what we call the conditions precedent,” he said.
“Most important condition precedent is that we need this project to be approved by the Cabinet of Zimbabwe and we are working very hard towards that together with all the different government agencies to get to that point so that this project is then approved and can move forward.
“Once we have got that approval, the rest will all fall in place and we are hoping then that we can start construction early in the next year.”
Once operational, the plant is projected to produce over 500 000 tonnes of lithium concentrate annually, a figure Barnard expects the mine will exceed.
“That will be the biggest single production from any mine in Zimbabwe,” he said.
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The development will tap into Sandawana’s estimated 100 million tonnes of lithium ore, which ranks as the fifth-largest known lithium reserve in the world.
The project is also aligned with the government’s beneficiation policy, with a planned second phase to produce lithium sulphate, a more value-added product essential for the electric vehicle battery supply chain.
Barnard outlined an aggressive timeline, targeting the start of construction within the next four to six months, pending approval.
Earthworks would commence immediately, with the goal of commissioning the plant by the first to second quarter of 2027.
The project is structured as a BOT agreement, meaning international partners will finance, construct, and initially operate the facility.
After a period during which loans are repaid and local staff are trained, full ownership and operational control will transfer to KMH.
The announcement comes as the company has demonstrated the high quality of its resource.
Sandawana Mines general manager Godwin Gambiza provided a production update, revealing that trial processing has yielded 88 000 metric tonnes of spodumene concentrate year-to-date, nearly meeting its budget of 91 000 tonnes.
He attributed the strong performance to the superior grade of the ore, calling it “arguably the best quality within Zimbabwe”.
