Zimbabwe Grants Sinomine More Lithium Concentrate Shipments

Chinese mining company Sinomine Resource Group has secured approval to export an additional 300,000 metric tons of lithium concentrate from Zimbabwe, Africa’s leading lithium producer. The country introduced export quotas in April after temporarily suspending concentrate shipments in February over alleged malpractice. Harare is seeking to increase local processing and retain more value from its lithium resources, with a full ban on lithium concentrate exports scheduled to begin in January 2027. Sinomine, which runs the Bikita mine, said production has normalized after the earlier disruption and now sufficiently supplies its Chinese smelting operations. The company operates two plants in the country with combined capacity for 600,000 tons of concentrate annually. It is also building a 100,000-ton-per-year lithium sulphate plant that is expected to be completed by mid-2027.