Where is Africa's first Chinese-owned lithium concentrate plant?

Last month, Africa’s first Chinese-owned lithium concentrate plant started up trial production at Arcadia, in Zimbabwe. That mine was bought by Huayou Cobalt in 2021 for $422mn, part of a recent billion-dollar wave of Chinese lithium deals in a country where many western investors fear to tread.

Which Chinese companies are building lithium processing plants in Zimbabwe?

Major Chinese companies, including Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, Sinomine Resource Group and Chengxin Lithium Group, all completed the construction or upgrade of lithium processing plants in Zimbabwe last year.

Why is China buying lithium from Africa?

Beijing currently controls the global lithium-ion battery industry, while it also dominates much of the processing of the mineral. To get the raw materials it needs, China has ramped up its procurement of lithium from Africa and elsewhere amid disquiet from Washington over Beijing’s grip on critical metal supply chains.

Which Chinese companies have commissioned a lithium concentrator?

Also, in May last year, another Chinese company, Chengxin Lithium Group, commissioned a 300,000 tonne per year lithium concentrator at the Sabi Star mine in eastern Zimbabwe. In 2021, the company spent US$77 million on a deal that included mining rights in the largely unexplored Sabi Star mine.

Is China buying up a lithium mine in Zimbabwe?

In Zimbabwe, too, home to large untapped deposits of the resource, China is buying up mines. In a major deal, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt is investing $300 million in its recently purchased Arcadia Lithium mine outside Harare, according to Reuters.

How much lithium will Africa produce in 2022?

Benchmark forecasts that by the end of the decade, Africa will contribute a 14 per cent share of global lithium raw materials supply, up from a 4 per cent share last year. In 2022, Zimbabwe banned exports of raw lithium ore, forcing companies to set up local factories to process ore into concentrates before export.