By Staff
Government is on course to establishing a lithium beneficiation park in the second quarter of this in the mining area of Mapinga, housing part of the Great Dyke.
Speaking to journalists in a post cabinet briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting services Minister Jenfan Muswere the beneficiation plant will take the form of a Mines to Energy Industrial Park.
“Cabinet was briefed by Vice President Honourable C.G.D.N. Chiwenga, as the Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Establishment of the Mines to Energy Industrial Park in Mapinga, ”he said.
The Park will house various mining value additions activities on top of the construction of 300 megawatt power stations.
“Government wishes to inform the nation that the Mines to Energy Industrial Park is a lithium value addition and beneficiation project that will have the following facilities activities: the construction of a coking plant with a capacity of 1.2 million and 130 000 metric tonnes of coke and lithium salt per annum, respectively; the construction of two, 300 megawatt power stations; a graphite processing plant; a nickle chromium alloy smelter; and a nickle sulphate plant, together with supportive power supply and logistics.
The industrial park will span over an area of 500 hectares and will be implemented on phased basis, with Phase 1 set to begin in June 2024 and government will have a shareholding in the project.
The project is set to shore up investments in the growing mining sector set to continue backing the country’s foreign currency receipts critical in supporting the newly introduced ZiG currency.