Key Mining projects and plant upgrades in Zimbabwe

Key Mining projects in Zimbabwe (updated to Dec 2022)

The Mining Sector is a key player in the country’s economic development. The sector contributes more than 60% of Zimbabwe’s export receipts, attracts more than 50% of foreign direct investment (FDI), contributes about 13% to GDP and generates significant employment.

In 2021, the mining industry attained USD5.46 billion in exports against a targeted projection of USD8 billion during that period. The mining sector remains well on course to generate USD12 billion in revenue by the year 2023 thereby contributing significantly towards the attainment of the national vision.

The main minerals that are going to lead the growth of the mining sector include gold, platinum group metals (PGMs), ferrochrome, steel, nickel, diamonds, lithium, coal and hydrocarbons.

Under National Development Strategy (NDS1) implementation, the Beneficiation and Value Addition of our economic minerals will ultimately feed into the attainment of Vision 2030 of Zimbabwe becoming an Upper Middle-Income Economy by the year 2030.

Zimbabwe is prioritizing enhanced investments in exploration, opening of new mines, beneficiation and value addition of minerals; as well as expansion of projects subject to various commercial and economic models. His Excellency has commissioned a number of mining projects across various mineral subsectors such as gold, diamonds, Platinum Group Metals (PGMs), Coal and lithium among others.

The Mining Sector continues to record positive growth underpinned by a number of programmes that include increased exploration, resuscitation of closed mines, the opening of new mines, expansion of existing mining projects and mineral beneficiation and value addition.

Below are key mining projects and plant upgrades in the 2nd Republic report by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development

GOLD

Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc/ Blanket Mine (Shaft Expansion)

The government of Zimbabwe signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc on 5 October 2020 for the expansion of Blanket Mine. The project is now under implementation.
Blanket Mine is increasing production through the Central Shaft Expansion Project.
The Central Shaft project commenced in 2015 with the objectives to increase production to 80,000 ounces of gold per annum, reduce operating costs and allow for further exploration to extend the life of mine beyond 2024.
The Central Shaft is one of the deepest shafts in Zimbabwe, with a depth of 1,200 metres from the surface.
The total investment of the project is USD67 million and the project employs a total of 1,979 people in Zimbabwe.
Caledonia Mine has also constructed a 12MW Solar Plant at Blanket, at a cost of approximately USD14 million.

RIOZIM Cam And Motor Mine (Expansion Project) Kadoma

RioZim Cam and Motor Mine Biox Plant was officially commissioned by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde. Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa on 14 April 2022.
The project will result in the creation of additional direct employment of about 120 people.
The gold production will reach 140 kilogrammes per month, during the first phase of the project, and will peak at 200 kilograms per month, after Phase 2 is implemented.

Zimcn Radnor Mine (Makaha, Mashonaland East)

Major highlights of the ZIMCN Radnor Gold Mine since operations resumed:

A total of USD35Million invested into the mine.
200 workers engaged on full time basis comprising of 60 Chinese engineers and 140 local Zimbabweans. Of the 140 local Zimbabweans, 41 are residents of the local project hosting area of Makaha and its surrounding areas of Mudzi, Mutoko, Murehwa and Nyanga North.
Acquisition, installation and turning on of the country’s single largest gold ore crushing unit at a processing capacity of 1000 tons per hour.
Construction and operationalization of the country’s largest gold recovery heap leaching project hosted by a single mining entity. In the past 15 months period the mine has developed heap leaching pads covering a combined floor base of 15 hectares. In the same period, 1.5 million tons of ore has been extracted, crushed and loaded onto pads.
Development of a major 200-metre deep 7m by 7m inclined tunnel shaft to extract the deep underlying high-grade sulphide ores. The tunnel is currently being developed to reach 1km extent for massive ore extraction at rates of 100 tonnes per hour.
The Corporate Social Responsibility plan has entailed road rehabilitation, borehole drilling, local schools’ buildings renovations and mobilization of Netone to install a mobile network booster for the surrounding community.

PLATINUM GROUP OF METALS (PGMs)

Unki Mine (Pvt) Ltd (Expansion Project) Shurugwi, Midlands

The expansion will result in increased concentrator capacity from 179 000 tonnes per month to 210 000 tonnes per month. The project is now ready for commissioning

Zimplats (Expansion Project), Mhondoro Ngezi, Mash West

ZIMPLATS signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Zimbabwe in 2021 that will see the company invest USD1.8 billion to expand its operation by the year 2025.
These projects include new mine development, additional concentrator, PGMs smelter expansion, PGM Base Metal Refinery (BMR) plant, sulphuric acid plant as well as the 110 MW Solar power plant.

Mimosa Mining Company, Zvishavane, Midlands

The Concentrator Optimization at Mimosa Mining Company is nearing completion and the commissioning of the concentrator is scheduled for February 2023.
The concentrator optimization project will result in an increase of 11,552 4E ounces PGMs per year.
The project will generate USD27 million per annum with a workforce of about 33 people.

CHROME, FERROCHROME AND STEEL

Afrochine Smelting, Selous, Mashonaland West

Operationalization of 2 × 12.5 MVA Furnaces in addition to 3 Chrome Smelters already operating to produce 600 000 tons per annum of ferrochrome was done in June 2019. Afrochine now has a total of 5 smelters which are operational.
The furnaces are ready for commissioning by His Excellency.
They are working on increasing furnace capacity to achieve 500,000 tonnes by 2023 ramping up to achieve 1,000,000 tonnes by 2025. They also setting up 2 smelters in Chivi.

Dinson Iron And Steel Company (Pvt) Ltd (Tshingshan), Carbon Steel Plant

The Capital Investment for Phase 1 of the project is about USD1 Billion and is expected to have an annual turnover of over USD600 Million per annum.
The project is set to employ over 2000 employees during the first phase. At full throttle, the Steel company itself is expected to employ more than 10 000 workers directly while it will create employment for millions of Zimbabweans indirectly through the upstream and downstream industries.
The original MoU signed between Government and Tsingshan Holdings Group was signed in June 2018 after His Excellency had met its Chairman in April 2018.
The original MoU saw the setting up of the Dinson Colliery and Manhize Iron Ore and Value Addition park.
On the 29^th of November 2022, The President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, His Excellency, Cde.Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa presided over the signing of the addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Zimbabwe and Tsingshan Holdings.
The addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding concerns the following:

Expansion of two more furnaces in Afrochine Smelting (Private) Limited;
Setting up of 350,000 coke production capacity at Dinson Colliery (Private) Limited;

Establishment of a carbon steel plant with its first phase of 600,000tons at Dinson Iron and Steel Company (Private) Limited;

Setting up a cement manufacturing plant of a capacity of (one) 1 million tonnes per year;
Setting up a lithium processing plant with a capacity to produce (two) 2 million tonnes per year of lithium concentrate;
Refurbishment and construction of a 1000km long railway line system in the ROZ to provide dedicated, reliable, uninterrupted and efficient railway system to be able to ferry our products for both local and exports-imports routes;

Construction of a 1000Mw power plant to ensure energy security.

Zimasco High Carbon Ferrochrome Smelter Establishment, Kwekwe, Midlands

The expansion of the high-carbon ferrochrome smelter is underway
The upgraded Furnaces are expected to produce 80,000 metric tonnes per annum and to employ 100 locals from April 2023.
The upgrade Number 7 and 8 Furnaces are expected to produce 70,000 metric tonnes annum high carbon ferrochrome.
A total of USD150 million per annum revenue is anticipated.

DIAMOND

RZM Murowa Diamonds Greenfields Diamond Plant Construction, Murowa, Midlands

The construction of the RZM Murowa 500 TPH Greenfields Diamond Plant Project is now complete, with the project now awaiting commissioning. The expansion is expected to increase output from 190 000 tons of ore per month to 500 000 tons per month.
The project will create employment for 679 locals.
The project will increase diamond production in Zimbabwe, foreign currency generation and development of the local communities of Zvishavane.
The expansion of RZM Murowa Diamonds is a success story to the President‘s call for investors to invest in the geologically rich nation. RZM Murowa Diamonds is a key driver in achieving the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and Vision 2030.
RZM Murowa Diamonds is expected to make a significant contribution towards achieving a USD12 Billion Mining sector by 2023 and eventually driving the economy to become an Upper Middle-Income Economy by 2030.

LITHIUM

Sinomine Bikita Minerals, Masvingo

Sinomine acquired an effective shareholding in Bikita Minerals (Private) Limited (“Bikita”) in February 2022 through the purchase of equity in Bikita held by external shareholders.
Sinomine has been investing in Zimbabwe for over than 15 years, commencing with exploration, contract mining, and investing in the lithium businesses from the Arcadia Resources project to the acquisition of Bikita Minerals in February 2022. Sinomine sold its minority shareholding in Arcadia in 2021.
Following the takeover by Sinomine, Bikita’s strategic development plan is as follows:
1. Based on the exploration advantages of Sinomine, they have already implemented resource exploration of the mining area, and have found more reserves of Bikita minerals, providing further technical support and resource guarantees for the development of the Mine to the next stage.
2. To invest USD50 million dollars expanding the petalite plant to increase the currently capacity and production. Bikita currently produces petalite and intends to increase its production and export.
3. To invest USD150 million dollars to set up a new spodumene production line and to develop the Spodumene project. Spodumene contains chemical grade lithium required for batteries. It requires several processing before it can be used to make batteries.
4. To invest USD20 million dollars to set up a new 110km power line from Tokow station via Masvingo to Bikita Mine, which will improve the Nation Grid and benefit of the whole of Masvingo Province for its people.

Sabi Star Mine, Buhera, Manicaland

The construction of a Lithium Processing Plant is underway.
The project is scheduled for completion in February 2023.
The company plans to set up a battery-grade Lithium plant in Zimbabwe with an envisaged investment of USD 250 Million. The plant is expected to be the first, and the largest of its kind in Africa.
Regarding Community and Social Responsibility (CSR), the company intends to build a local clinic. There is also scope for drilling boreholes for the local community to alleviate challenges related to water for domestic and project purposes.
Max Mind (Pvt) Ltd intends to invest up to USD8 Million in the first phase of the project which will result in the export of lithium and tantalite concentrates and they have so far already invested USD 5 Million.
The annual turnover for the project will be USD600 million per annum with a workforce of 400 people directly and indirectly.

Mines To Energy Park, Mapinga, Mashonaland West

The project entails the establishment of a Mines to Energy Park in Mapinga, Mashonaland West.
The park will be comprised of the following:

Two (2) three hundred megawatt (300MW) power stations;
A coking plant with a capacity of one million and two hundred thousand tonnes (1,200,000t) of coke per annum at an estimated cost of two hundred million United States dollars (USD200,000,000.00);

A lithium salt plant at an estimated cost of four hundred and fifty million United States dollars (USD450,000,000.00) with a capacity to produce over thirty thousand tonnes (30,000t) of lithium hydroxide and the capacity to expand to over one hundred and thirty thousand tonnes (130,000t) of lithium carbonate and/or lithium hydroxide per annum;

A graphite plant at an estimated cost of one hundred and eighty million United States dollars (USD180,000,000.00) for Phase I with a capacity to produce seventy-five thousand tonnes (75,000t) of ninety-five per cent (95%) purity graphite per annum, and a further Phase II for battery grade product;
A nickel sulphate plant to produce one hundred and fifty thousand tonnes (150,000t) of nickel sulphate, six hundred thousand tonnes (600,000t) of magnesium oxide, one hundred and fifty thousand tonnes (150,000t) of sodium hydroxide and two hundred thousand tonnes (200,000t) of iron concentrate per annum at an estimated cost of one billion United States dollars (USD1,000,000,000.00);
A nickel-chromium alloy smelter to produce three hundred thousand tonnes (300,000t) of nickel-chromium alloy per annum at an estimated cost of five hundred million United States dollars (USD500,000,000.00).

Kamativi Lithium Mine (KMC)

Kamativi Mining Company (KMC) is set to complete the first phase of its lithium mine production preparations in October 2023, having already invested 25 million US dollars.

The second phase, set to be completed by early 2024, will see KMC’s investment rise to us$75 million, bringing the total investment capital to 100 million US dollars.

KMC has also taken the initiative to construct a lithium beneficiation plant.

Alongside construction phase one plant, Phase-two plant construction is due to begin this year, with an expected total processing capacity of 2 million tons of ore per year.

Following the government’s ban on the export of raw lithium ore, KMC has gone further to construct a lithium beneficiation plant. They are also going to resuscitate the old Kamativi tin mine plant and begin the construction of phase one plant by October this year, which is expected to be processing 300,000 tons of ore per year.

KMC is also expected to produce 350,000 tons of lithium concentrate by early 2024, from 2.3 million tons of mined ore. This marks an important development not only for KMC but for the wider lithium sector, which has seen increased attention given the important role it plays in the energy transition.

The plant is also expected to create employment opportunities for 1500 locals.

COPPER

Grand Sanyuan Copper Resources Zimbabwe

The construction of the Copper Processing Plant is now complete and the smelter is operational.
The establishment of the smelter will be an important step towards full copper value addition as per the Greater Chinhoyi Copper Development program.
The production output of copper bullion is expected to be 450 tons per month.
The project will generate USD14.4 million per annum with a workforce of about 94 people.

ENERGY MINERAL PROJECTS (COAL, COKE, OIL AND GAS)

Dinson Colliery Plant For Coking Coal Production, Hwange Mat North.

The construction of the Dinson Colliery Phase 2 Coke Oven Battery is now complete with the installation of equipment underway.
Phase 2 Coke Oven Battery is scheduled for completion by Q1 2023.
Phase 2 of the project will have a capacity of 180,000 tonnes per annum, generate revenue of USD54 million per annum and create employment for 500 locals.

Taken from key mining projects in the 2nd Republic report by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development