With processing facilities entering trial production, Chinese mining company China Mineral Resources Group has completed and commissioned two projects at the Bikita lithium mine in Masvingo province, Zimbabwe.

The group also expects the plant to ramp up production as soon as possible, while making further contributions to its yearly business objectives.

The two-million-tonne-a-year lithium feldspar expansion project and the two-million-tonne-a-year spodumene construction project were completed on July 6 and 7, respectively.

Bikita is an established mining operation, with mining having started more than 100 years ago. Exploration of the Bikita pegmatites was first recorded in 1911, while lithium production started in the 1950s.

The mine has historically used both openpit and underground mining methods to extract lithium ore, which is processed at an onsite concentration plant. Its processing operations include gravity separation for petalite concentrate and flotation for spodumene concentrate.

China Mineral Resources acquired Bikita Minerals in 2022. The group acquired the mine when it was nearing the end of an orebody and subsequently invested in exploration and expanded production capacity.

The mine’s employment has also increased since the acquisition. Bikita Minerals reported that it had 1 360 direct employees, including 180 women. The company has previously said that 80% of its labour force is recruited from local communities, including Bikita, Gutu and Zaka.

The projects represent a total investment of about R4.64-billion (RMB1.937-billion).

China Mineral Resources Group chairperson and president Wang Pingwei attended the commissioning ceremony at the Bikita lithium mine, accompanied by heads of some of the group’s business departments. He said the group had prioritised the construction of the beneficiation plants at Bikita and provided significant resources and support for the projects.

Wang added that the completion and commissioning of the projects marked a new stage in the development of the Bikita lithium mine and represented progress for the group in lithium resource development and use.

He said the group’s lithium products would become more diversified and economical, while improving the matching between resources and smelting capacity.

He also credited the Bikita team, led by China Mineral Resources Group VP and Bikita lithium mine GM Wang Zhenhua, for its work over the past year.

Wang said the projects had received support from the Zimbabwean government and local community.

The completion of the projects has expanded and upgraded facilities at an existing mine, including the expansion of an existing processing operation and construction of a new spodumene processing facility. China Mineral Resources previously said its investment was intended to expand production and develop additional resources at Bikita.

The company’s reference to the mine being “revitalised” therefore relates to the expansion and upgrading of the existing operation, as well as the development of additional processing capacity.