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Zimbabwe’s ban on lithium ore

exports will not affect large

mines, top officials say

ZIMBABWE LARGE companies investing in lithium mining lithium in 2021, behind Brazil (1,900 tonnes),
in Zimbabwe are unbothered by a recent ban Argentina (6,200 tonnes), China (14,000
on raw exports of the mineral, saying they plan tonnes), Chile (26,000 tonnes) and Australia
to produce concentrate, which they can freely (55,000 tonnes).
export. Chinese companies such as Sinomine
On December 20, 2022, the government Resource Group, Zhenjiang Huayou Cobalt
announced that lithium-bearing ores could only and Chengxin Lithium Group as well as Lon-
be exported on the basis of a written permission don-listed Premier African Minerals (Premier)
from the minister of mines. It gave three excep- are building mines and processing plants in the
tions, including rocks meant for assay abroad or country.
lithium ore whose market value would have been Premier chief executive officer, George
determined on the basis of reference to a reputa- Roach, told newZWire: “As I understand this,
ble metals exchange. the banned commodity is un-beneficiated ore.
Persons found violating the law face a fine of We do not plan to export ore. We plan to mine
twice the value of the mineral they had sought to ore and then extract spodumene from the ore
export illegally (smuggle), imprisonment for up and export the spodumene. I do not believe this
to two years or both. affects us at this time.”
“The exportation of concentrates is not The ban came a few weeks after alluvial min-
banned,” newZWire, a local publication cited ers had descended on a former emerald mine in
Pfungwa Kunaka, permanent secretary for the central Zimbabwe where they had been extract-
ministry of mines as saying on Monday (January ing and selling lithium rock to intermediaries
2). “We are encouraging and promoting value who were exporting it to neighbouring South
addition and beneficiation.” Africa.
The ban, newZWire reports, does not apply newZWire also cited a general manager of
to the export of lithium concentrates, which all another major lithium company saying: “We
the major lithium miners in the country already have no problem with that law. In fact, it protects
plan to produce. “It only applies to the export of formal operations where it stops illegal miners
lithium ore, the rocks that carry the mineral. The from potentially damaging assets to sell ore.
government does not consider concentrates as Our operation is currently building processing
raw or unprocessed lithium,” it added. capacity and will have no problem complying
Reports say the southern African country has with Zimbabwean laws.”
the continent’s largest proven lithium reserves Supply Management had expressed fear on
and the sixth biggest ones globally. Tuesday (January 3) that a ban was going to
According to Supply Management, a Brit- cause an increase in the global lithium price.™
ish title, Zimbabwe produced 1,200 tonnes of

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 01 04•January•2023