Chinese Electrical Giant Beats Competition To Secure Zimbabwe’s Source Of Lithium

Big Chinese Player Suzhou Rushes In To Invest In Zimbabwe's Lithium Mines In Race To Control The EV Battery Market By DM and Reuters A mining company in Zimbabwe has agreed to start shipping a lithium-containing rock called spodumene concentrate from its facilities to China next year. Lithium deposits are a cornerstone to a shifting market for EV technology. This has prompted an increase in demand for production at mines in Zimbabwe, home to large deposits of the element. Zulu lithium mines is a subsidiary of Premier African Minerals. The company's chief executive, George Roach, told reporters this week that the firm selected Suzhou TA&A Ultra Clean Technology Co. from a number of Chinese, European and Australian investors. "At one point, I was involved with 11 separate negotiations with people all wanting Zulu," Roach said. "It was a very intense period." Suzhou has agreed to invest $35 million in the construction of a pilot plant at the Zulu mine, which will help the facility produce up to 50,000 tones of lithium-containing rocks annually.