Bikita Minerals is expanding its annual spodumene processing capacity from two million tonnes to three million tonnes by the second quarter of 2027, as owner Sinomine steps up investment in lithium processing at the mine, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
Thomas Mufumi, Deputy General Manager of Sinomine Bikita Minerals, said the expansion would increase the mine’s capacity by 50% as the company rolls out projects expected to take its total investment to about US$900 million by the end of 2027.
“Our spodumene processing capacity is currently around two million tonnes per year, and we are expanding that to three million tonnes by the second quarter of next year,” Mufumi said.
Sinomine has invested more than US$320 million in spodumene and petalite beneficiation at Bikita, with further spending planned on processing facilities, mineral recovery and power generation.
A major project is a US$400 million lithium sulphate plant scheduled for completion in July 2027. The plant will allow Bikita to process lithium concentrate further into lithium sulphate, an intermediate product used to manufacture battery materials.
The company is also investing more than US$60 million in an expansion and pre-concentration project, US$6 million in tantalite extraction and more than US$60 million in a 50-megawatt power station.
The projects are being developed as Bikita builds on a larger resource base. Mufumi said the mine’s lithium-bearing mineral resources had grown from about 29 million tonnes to more than 218 million tonnes since Sinomine acquired the operation, extending its projected mine life by more than 15 years.
The expansion has also increased employment at the mine. Direct workers now number about 1,400, up from roughly 300 previously, while more than 2,000 contractor workers are also engaged at the operation.
Bikita’s investment comes as lithium accounts for a growing share of Zimbabwe’s mineral export earnings. Figures presented by the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe during its lithium media tour showed lithium sales of US$2.159 billion in the first nine months of 2026, accounting for 45.6% of reported mineral export sales, excluding gold and silver.
The planned sulphate plant would take Bikita beyond its existing concentrate processing operations, adding another stage to the production of lithium materials in Zimbabwe as the company continues to expand its facilities.
