Opening of $104m mining facility a ‘milestone’ for Zimbabwe

By Agencies

Zimbabwe’s largest platinum producer Zimplats has opened a third mining concentrator as part of a $1.8bn investment by the firm to expand the country’s mining capacity. 

Speaking at the official opening of the concentrator, a plant which processes ore brought from a mine, mines minister Winston Chitando, said: “What we have today is commissioning of a concentrator plant built by Zimplats which is part of the US$1.8bn investment programme.”=

According to The New Zimbabwe, Chitando added: “This plant represents a significant milestone in the value-addition of mineral resources to promote a sustainable mining industry.

“As we all know, value-addition and beneficiation are very key to our economic development, they create jobs, increase exports and generate revenue for the government. Therefore, it is our duty as a nation to promote and support industries that add value to our natural resources.”

Zimplats also intends to develop a 110 megawatt solar power plant which will have sufficient capacity to power the company’s facilities.

The firm announced plans in 2021 to invest US$1.8bn by 2028 in the country’s mining facilities, and build a base metal refinery to increase its production and a sulfuric acid plant to help the country increase its production of fertiliser.

In 2021 Zimbabwe imported $4.3m worth of sulfuric acid and remains a significant fertiliser importer, despite being potentially able to produce it locally.

State newspaper the Herald reported that fertiliser supplies had been disrupted lately by Russia’s war on Ukraine and said that rising fertiliser prices had placed the resource beyond the reach of many farmers.

Zimbabwean farmers use around 160,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and 40,000 tonnes of compound fertilisers every year.

Under the government’s national development strategy, the industry and commerce ministry is prioritising the creation of a fertiliser supply chain to help Zimbabwe achieve food security.

Currently, the country has only one fertiliser producer, Zimbabwe Phosphate Industries.

However, the treasury has set aside $22m of the funds it received from the IMF global bailout package for Covid-19 to help stimulate the creation of a fertiliser supply chain.