Zimbabwe is Banning Raw Lithium Exports. This Chinese Firm Just Won More Time

Zimbabwe has granted Chinese mining company Sinomine Resource Group an additional export quota of 300,000 metric tons of lithium concentrate, even as the southern African country moves to curb shipments of unprocessed lithium and develop domestic processing.

Sinomine received an initial quota of 200,000 tons in April, according to its half-year report, bringing the total additional allocation to 500,000 tons.

Zimbabwe has sought to capture more value from its lithium resources by restricting exports of unprocessed concentrate and encouraging miners to build processing facilities in the country.

The government suspended exports of raw lithium concentrates in February, citing concerns over malfeasance and leaks, and had already announced plans in 2025 to prohibit lithium concentrate exports from January 2027.

Zimbabwe, which has some of Africa’s largest lithium reserves, introduced mandatory export quotas in April as it allowed concentrate shipments to resume. Mining companies are required to commit to developing domestic processing capacity before receiving further export approvals.

The government has also retained a 10% export tax on lithium concentrate, which is due to remain in place until the planned January 2027 ban on unprocessed concentrate exports takes effect.

Zimbabwe exported its first shipment of lithium sulphate in April from the Arcadia mine near Harare, marking a move toward processing lithium into higher-value products domestically. Previously, most of the country’s lithium was shipped as spodumene concentrate for processing overseas.

Zimbabwe’s push to develop domestic processing has faced challenges, with lithium producers saying in June they needed more time to establish processing facilities before the planned export ban takes effect.

Sinomine’s Bikita Minerals has committed about $500 million to develop lithium sulphate processing facilities at its operations in Zimbabwe.

Sinomine said in its half-year report that lithium concentrate supplies from Bikita had returned to normal after disruptions between February and April, allowing the company to meet the raw material requirements of its smelting operations in China.

The company’s two operations at Bikita have a combined potential production capacity of 600,000 metric tons a year of lithium concentrate, including spodumene and petalite.

A technology upgrade is expected to increase Bikita’s annual spodumene concentrate production capacity to 400,000 metric tons, Sinomine has said.

Construction is also underway on a lithium sulphate processing plant at Bikita with planned annual production capacity of 100,000 metric tons. The facility is expected to be completed by mid-2027.

Zimbabwe has sought to attract investment in lithium processing as global demand for battery materials grows, particularly from the electric vehicle and energy-storage industries. China remains a major player in the global lithium processing industry and a key destination for Zimbabwean lithium exports.

The export restrictions are part of Zimbabwe’s broader push to move beyond exporting raw minerals and increase domestic value addition.

Stay ahead of the Stories shaping our world. Subscribe to Impact Newswire and join our 
WhatsApp Channel for updates on global tech, business, and innovation—all in one place.

Dive deeper into the future with the Cause Effect 4.0 Podcast, where we explore the ideas, trends, and technologies driving the global AI conversation.

Got a story to share? Contact Us to reach a global audience with Impact Newswire.