Zimbabwean state-owned mining company Kuvimba Mining House is partnering with major Chinese industrial players to build a $270 million lithium plant at the Sandawana mine, whose operations are expected to start in early 2027 and expectations are high for a rebound in lithium prices.

The state-owned mining group is partnering with two Chinese metal giants to build this lithium concentration unit with an annual capacity of 600,000 metric tons. The two partner companies will build and operate the factory for at least five years, before transferring it to Kuvimba. Barnard refused to reveal the identity of the companies involved, citing continuing negotiations

“We are in the process of finalizing the final necessary agreements and ensuring that all the required and compatible industrial conditions are in place to allow our partner to start construction,” Trevor Barnard told the press.

“We aim to lay the first stone in the third quarter,” he added.

Kuvimba, which accumulates lithium ore at the Sandawana site, has already transported some of it to a processing plant in Gwanda, owned by the Chinese nickel and steel giant Tsingshan Holding Group.

Barnard believes that the completion of the Sandawana concentration plant could coincide with a recovery in the price of lithium, an essential metal for batteries.

“Our forecasts indicate that lithium prices should recover in 2027, just as we expect the concentration plant to go into production,” Barnard said.

The largest African lithium producer, Zimbabwe announced a ban on the export of lithium concentrates from 2027 to encourage local processing.