Arcadia Mine Launches Continent’s First Lithium Sulphate Plant, Ahead of Export Ban
Arcadia Mine Launches Continent’s First Lithium Sulphate Plant, Ahead of Export Ban (Septemper 19, 2025)
In a landmark development for Zimbabwe’s mining sector, Huayou Cobalt’s subsidiary, Arcadia Technology Zimbabwe (ATZ), is in the final stages of constructing a groundbreaking US$400 million lithium sulphate processing plant at its Arcadia Mine, strategically positioning the operation ahead of the government’s January 2027 ban on lithium concentrate exports, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
Summary
"The project has been represented as a direct physical manifestation of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and the government’s broader policy of beneficiation, which seeks to transform the nation from a raw material exporter into a manufacturer of semi-processed and finished goods.
On Thursday, officials from Huayou’s local subsidiaries, Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe (PLZ) and Arcadia Lithium Zimbabwe (ATZ), led a media tour through the sprawling plant. The tour showcased the advanced technology that will transform spodumene concentrate into 50,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium sulphate annually—a critical precursor chemical for the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles and renewable energy storage systems globally."