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Sinomine Assets Group Co., Ltd. (Sinomine Assets) has been ramping up operations at its lithium mine in Bikita, Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe. They’ve invested greater than $200 million in direction of exploration work, mine enlargement, and different strategic tasks in response to information from the Zimbabwe Funding Growth Company. A few of the funding has gone into the development of latest crops, considerably boosting manufacturing capability. The scope features a gravity separation plant which is anticipated to supply 300,000 tons of petalite yearly in addition to a flotation plant which is anticipated to supply 270,000 tons of high-quality chemical grade spodumene focus yearly.
The excellent news is that the Bikita Minerals Mine additionally bought a 12MW photo voltaic PV plant in addition to a 6MWh lithium battery to assist guarantee energy stability for essential sections of the mine in addition to cut back fossil gas consumption. The broader scope of works additionally included development of 132KV of energy transmission and a change venture together with 112 kilometres of energy traces and a 132KV Bikita substation venture, which was invested in and constructed by Sinomine Assets, to attach the nationwide electrical energy firm’s Tokwe 330KV substation with the Bikita Minerals Mine.
Sinomine Assets says the venture began in Might 2023 and efficiently transmitted energy for the primary time on March 17, 2024, lasting solely 10 months, which is the shortest development time and the highest quality venture of the identical sort previously 20 years of the Zimbabwe Energy Transmission and Transformation Firm, creating a brand new file for such tasks. On the similar time, it’s being acknowledged as a mannequin venture for related tasks by Zimbabwe Energy Transmission and Transformation Firm.
With Zimbabwe going through a extreme electrical energy technology deficit, these partnerships between the non-public sector and the utility firm will go a great distance in addressing a few of these challenges, particularly as extra non-public companies ramp up the set up of megawatt-scale distributed photo voltaic PV crops coupled with battery storage to enhance provide from the grid.
Mr. Wang Pingwei, Chairman and President of Sinomine Assets delivered a speech on the launch, and Mr. Gong Xuedong, Assistant President of Sinomine Assets and Basic Supervisor of Bikita Mine, attended the ceremony on behalf of the corporate. In his speech, Chairman Wang stated that the venture has acquired robust assist from the Zimbabwean authorities, energy sector, and neighborhood, including one other spine transmission line to the nationwide grid, which can tremendously enhance energy provide from Masvingo to Bikita, Nyika, Zaka, and different locations.
The venture can be anticipated to enhance energy provide of cities alongside the road, and alleviate energy shortages for native residents. For the Bikita Mine, it’ll tremendously enhance the ability safety, cut back dependence on fossil power, and tremendously cut back manufacturing price.
Zimbabwe is without doubt one of the world’s high lithium producers (sixth as of 2022). Curiosity within the nation’s lithium sector has been rising exponentially because of the world push to affect transport in addition to rising demand for stationary battery storage. As a number of mines concentrating on essential minerals for the power transition open up or develop their operations in Zimbabwe and the area, there are additionally rising requires extra worth addition domestically and never simply limiting the sector to extraction and export of uncooked supplies.
