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On December 6, 2022, the Bikita mine in Zimbabwe, which is owned by China Mineral Resources Group Co., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as "China Mineral Resources"), once again completed the export formalities of 30,000 tons of diatherite fine ore powder。This is after this year has been 60,000 tons of lithium feldspar fine powder shipped back to China, 30,000 tons of lithium feldspar fine powder shipped back to supplement the mineral resources2.Raw material demand for 50,000 tons of battery grade lithium hydroxide and battery grade lithium carbonate production lines。The approval of the lithium concentrate export procedures marks the Zimbabwean government's strong support for the normal production and export of legitimate lithium mining enterprises, and Bikita Mine has become a stable lithium concentrate supply base for mineral resources。
The Bikita mine, located in Zimbabwe's Maswingo province, is currently the only lithium mine in large-scale production in Africa。According to the resource estimation report issued by IRES, the Bikita lithium mine has a lithium ore resource of more than 54 million tons, equivalent to 156 tons.50,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent。In addition, there are still a number of unverified LCT (lithium cesium tantalum type) pegmatite in the Bikita mine area, which has the potential to further expand the reserves of lithium cesium tantalum mineral resources。
In order to give full play to the value of its own lithium resources and transform resource advantages into economic advantages, China Mineral Resources is implementing ZimbabweExpansion (new) planning of Bikita mine。It is planned to increase the mining and processing capacity of the old plant to 1.2 million tons/year, and build a new 2 million tons mining and processing line by the end of June 2023。At that time, Bikita chemical grade sanitarite concentrate (Li₂O4.3%) capacity expansion to 180,000 tons/year, and mixed concentrates (spodumene, lithium nepheline, etc., Li₂O4.3%）约6.70,000 tons/year;Spodumene concentrate (Li₂O5.5%) about 300,000 tons/year, lepidolite concentrate (Li₂O2.5%) 90,000 tons/year, tantalum concentrate 0.30,000 tons/year。
Reckon withBy the end of 2023, China Mineral Resources' own lithium ore resources can support the concentrate supply of the company's 60,000 tons/year LCE production capacity, which will further enhance the company's profitability and the integration of the whole industrial chain。
