Premier African Resources says it has completed several critical tests at its Zulu lithium project in Fort Rixon, Matabeleland South Province, marking a key milestone towards commercial production.
This comes as Zimbabwe continues to position itself as a key player in the global battery minerals value chain.
The company said what remains is the hot commissioning of the new spodumene flotation plant and the production of saleable concentrate, with progress to date remaining firmly on schedule for completion in the second quarter of 2026.
Zimbabwe has emerged as one of Africa’s most strategic lithium destinations, with growing global demand for the mineral driven by the accelerating transition to clean energy, electric vehicles and battery storage technologies.
Lithium is a critical component in rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles, mobile devices and renewable energy storage systems, making it one of the world’s most sought-after minerals as economies shift towards decarbonisation and green industrialisation.
The country has, in recent years, attracted substantial investment into lithium exploration, mining and processing as the Government pushes for value addition and beneficiation under its broader industrialisation agenda.
The progress at Zulu Lithium comes at a time when Zimbabwe is intensifying efforts to leverage its vast mineral resources to drive economic growth, export earnings, job creation and foreign currency generation.
As one of the country’s largest developing hard-rock lithium resources, the project will directly support the Government’s push to capitalise on the global transition to clean energy and electric vehicles (EVs).
In an operational update, the company said commissioning activities were progressing steadily and in line with expectations.
Premier African Mineral managing director Mr Graham Hill said the company was maintaining a disciplined and methodical approach to the commissioning process to ensure operational readiness ahead of full production.
“We remain firmly focused on progressing commissioning activities in a methodical and disciplined manner at the new Zulu Lithium flotation plant and associated processing circuits, ensuring that, prior to the commencement of final hot commissioning, the Company has appropriately prepared for, planned, and considered all operational scenarios that could reasonably be anticipated,” he said.
“Following the successful completion of several tests during cold (wet) commissioning, the hot commissioning of the plant has started on ore.
“Hot commissioning from the crushing plant to the mill and to the mica flotation plant has now been successfully completed.”
Mr Hill said the remaining phase involved commissioning the spodumene flotation plant and achieving production of saleable concentrate.
“What remains is the hot commissioning of the new spodumene flotation plant and the production of saleable concentrate. The Zulu team is currently working on final planning with the Xinhai Technology commissioning and optimisation engineers in order to achieve this.
“This has been a significant achievement by the Zulu engineering and processing team, of whom we can all be proud.”
He added that current progress remained aligned with the company’s previously announced timelines.
“Progress to date continues to support the company’s previously provided guidance that completion of the current commissioning programme remains on track for the Q2 2026 completion timeline,” Mr Hill said.
The company also revealed that its mining contractor was ready to mobilise additional mining equipment to meet anticipated ore feed requirements once full plant operations commence.
“Installation and testing of the final major mechanical equipment associated with the new spodumene flotation plant, being the plant air blower system, has been completed successfully.
“The company has also continued wet commissioning activities across both the new and existing flotation plant, with water circulated continuously through the process circuits during extended operational testing in order to confirm plant flow rates and identify and rectify any potential problems.”
Premier said the Zulu lithium plant’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) control system had also been successfully recommissioned and integrated with the modified flotation plant configuration.
“The company has additionally continued progressing commissioning activities associated with ore handling and processing systems. Hot commissioning of the plant, on ore, has now progressed to include the milling circuit and the mica flotation section.
“Planning for hot commissioning of the new spodumene flotation section is well advanced and the Xinhai Technology commissioning and optimisation engineers are now on site as part of this final phase of getting Zulu into production.”
The successful commissioning of lithium processing plants is increasingly important as global markets seek reliable and diversified sources of battery-grade minerals amid rising geopolitical competition for critical resources.
For Zimbabwe, the development of local lithium processing capacity is viewed as a strategic step towards increasing mineral beneficiation, reducing raw mineral exports and enhancing participation in global clean energy supply chains.
Aligned with Zimbabwe’s strict framework banning the export of raw lithium and concentrates, Zulu is advancing toward in-country processing.-herald
