Page 14 - AfrElec Week 02 2023

BATTERIES
AfrElec AfrElec

Chinese steel giant Tsingshan’s

Zimbabwean unit to manufacture

lithium-iron batteries locally

ZIMBABWE A Zimbabwean subsidiary of Chinese steel In November 2022, Zimbabwe President,
giant Tsingshan Holding Group (Tsingshan) has Emmerson Mnangagwa and Tsingshan founder,
announced plans to manufacture lithium-ion Xiang Guangda witnessed the signing of an
batteries in the southern African country. agreement spelling out the Chinese company’s
State-owned daily The Sunday Mail cited expansion into lithium mining and cement pro-
Wilfred Motsi, project director of Dinson Iron duction in Zimbabwe.
and Steel Company (DISCO), as saying they are On December 20, 2022, Africa’s number one
undertaking a feasibility study towards that goal. producer outlawed lithium ore and unpurified
Reacting to a recent decision by Zimbabwe to lithium salts exports unless the producer can
ban lithium ore exports to encourage more local prove special circumstances. Even after explain-
value addition, Motsi said the country is rich in ing the special circumstances, the exporter
minerals used in the process, among them lith- would have to pay the 15% export tax.
ium, nickel and graphite, which makes domestic However, concentrates that all the four major
battery production possible. under-construction lithium mines plan to pro-
“As a company, we are gratified by the gov- duce are exempt.
ernmet’s position to ban raw lithium exports,” he “Zimbabwe is endowed with vast mineral
told the latest edition of the weekly. “It is some- resources, including graphite in the Karoi area,
thing that we have been waiting for and it also and nickel, which are critical raw materials in
strategically positions us in our plans to go green lithium-ion battery production,” Motsi told The
and set up a lithium-ion battery manufacturing Sunday Mail.
plant.” “So, given our future plans for the battery
DISCO is building an iron ore mine and steel manufacturing plant, the vast mineral endow-
manufacturing plant in central Zimbabwe. It ment, coupled with the move by the government
launched the first phase of the project, worth to ban raw lithium exports, puts us on track to set
$1.5bn, in October 2022. Tsingshan’s other Zim- up a viable project in Zimbabwe. We really com-
babwean subsidiaries -- Afrochine Smelting mend the government for banning raw lithium
(Pvt) Limited and Dinson Colliery -- are pro- exports, even on chrome ore. We are one of the
ducing ferrochrome and coke to support work proponents of such a policy.”™
at the steel plant.

P14 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 02 11•January•2023