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Mid-Nickel",103.5,99.73,3.78,13.78,6.78,[518,519,520,522,524,526,528,530,532,534,536,538],{"date":213,"value":512},{"date":216,"value":513},{"date":219,"value":521},99.19,{"date":222,"value":523},96.02,{"date":225,"value":525},98.23,{"date":467,"value":527},99.24,{"date":329,"value":529},101.29,{"date":339,"value":531},87.61,{"date":341,"value":533},92.44,{"date":344,"value":535},90.96,{"date":347,"value":537},92.24,{"date":350,"value":539},95.09,{"id":541,"uuid":542,"name":543,"slug":544,"full_slug":545,"content":546,"relatedArticles":718,"relatedVideos":719},112472048122805,"30408142-cefa-4a5f-abbd-e10062096caa","Zimbabwe’s lithium ore export ban highlights Africa’s lithium potential","zimbabwes-lithium-ore-export-ban-highlights-africas-lithium-potential","article/zimbabwes-lithium-ore-export-ban-highlights-africas-lithium-potential",{"_uid":547,"date":548,"tags":549,"editor":562,"content":572,"excerpt":695,"featured":51,"reporter":696,"_editable":700,"component":701,"seo_title":543,"categories":702,"visibility":711,"author_company":49,"featured_image":712,"seo_description":695,"author_full_name":49,"author_job_title":49,"formattedDate":716,"formattedArticleDate":717},"5e937ff4-69ef-4d92-8880-1ef2f0bea5a0","2022-12-23 00:00",[550,553,556,559],{"slug":551,"name":552},"africa","Africa",{"slug":554,"name":555},"data-visualisation","Data Visualisation",{"slug":557,"name":558},"sinomine","Sinomine",{"slug":560,"name":561},"zimbabwe","Zimbabwe",[563],{"slug":564,"name":565,"content":566},"didi-bostock","Didi Bostock",{"job_title":567,"image":568,"bio":570,"linkedin":571},"Editor - Energy Transition & Economics",{"filename":569},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/2c5ca5c1a3/didi-bostock.jpeg","Didi is the Energy Transition & Economics Editor at Benchmark, covering a broad range of markets across the energy transition. His remit spans from downstream sectors such as BESS and EVs, through to midstream such as new technologies and battery production, to upstream critical minerals mining. He also leads on financial analysis across these supply chains, alongside in-depth policy analysis.\n","https://www.linkedin.com/in/didi-bostock-656342198/",{"type":573,"content":574},"doc",[575,582,587,592,597,602,607,614,619,628,633,640,645,650,655,660,665,680,685,690],{"type":576,"attrs":577,"content":578},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[579],{"text":580,"type":581},"This week Zimbabwe’s government banned the export of unprocessed lithium ores, citing concerns over increased trade by artisanal miners.","text",{"type":576,"attrs":583,"content":584},{"textAlign":49},[585],{"text":586,"type":581},"Beyond artisanal mining, the ban will also encourage lithium developers in the country to process the raw lithium ore into a concentrated form before exporting it to China or elsewhere to produce battery-grade lithium chemicals.",{"type":576,"attrs":588,"content":589},{"textAlign":49},[590],{"text":591,"type":581},"All of Zimbabwe’s official mined lithium is produced by a single Chinese company, with many projects in the pipeline in the country also under Chinese ownership. The ban should ensure Zimbabwe captures more of the value of its resources before they are exported, with the concentrated lithium products being taxable, whereas unprocessed ore is exempt.",{"type":576,"attrs":593,"content":594},{"textAlign":49},[595],{"text":596,"type":581},"“It forces Chinese-owned companies to develop at least some processing capacity in Africa,” Daisy Jennings-Gray, an analyst at Benchmark.",{"type":576,"attrs":598,"content":599},{"textAlign":49},[600],{"text":601,"type":581},"Jennings-Gray explained that this ban will have minimal impact on the lithium supply forecast from the country, given that the planned projects in Zimbabwe are set to produce concentrate for export, but is indicative of changing strategies within Africa to ensure more value is captured, and also a heavier focus on environmental, social and governance concerns.",{"type":576,"attrs":603,"content":604},{"textAlign":49},[605],{"text":606,"type":581},"Benchmark’s lithium forecast suggests less than 10% of Zimbabwe’s mined lithium came from artisanal sources in 2022.",{"type":608,"attrs":609,"content":611},"heading",{"level":610,"textAlign":49},4,[612],{"text":613,"type":581},"Zimbabwe dominates African lithium",{"type":576,"attrs":615,"content":616},{"textAlign":49},[617],{"text":618,"type":581},"In 2022, the Al Hayat mine in the Masvingo province of Zimbabwe was the only commercial lithium mine operating in Africa. Operated by Chinese state-owned mining company Sinomine, the mine is forecast to produce just over 0.7% of global mined lithium this year.",{"type":576,"attrs":620,"content":621},{"textAlign":49},[622],{"type":623,"attrs":624},"image",{"id":49,"alt":625,"src":626,"title":49,"source":49,"copyright":49,"meta_data":627},"","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/1e0ae262f7/bm-zimbabwe-dominates-african-lithium-in-2030.png",{},{"type":576,"attrs":629,"content":630},{"textAlign":49},[631],{"text":632,"type":581},"By 2030, Africa’s share of the world’s mined lithium production is forecast by Benchmark to rise to just under 11%. Zimbabwe is expected to account for over 60% of this, with its production growing over 25-fold between now and the end of the decade.",{"type":576,"attrs":634,"content":635},{"textAlign":49},[636],{"type":623,"attrs":637},{"id":49,"alt":625,"src":638,"title":49,"source":49,"copyright":49,"meta_data":639},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/61450d2c7b/bm-image-1-12937512142c.png",{},{"type":576,"attrs":641,"content":642},{"textAlign":49},[643],{"text":644,"type":581},"Although Sinomine’s currently operating mine will be one of the smallest in the country by that year, it has plans to develop two far larger mines this decade. If it comes to fruition, its Bikita mine in Masvingo province in Zimbabwe could be the second-largest lithium mine on the continent.",{"type":608,"attrs":646,"content":647},{"level":610,"textAlign":49},[648],{"text":649,"type":581},"Direct-shipping ore",{"type":576,"attrs":651,"content":652},{"textAlign":49},[653],{"text":654,"type":581},"The direct shipping of ore from lithium mines remains a relatively uncommon practice, only typically becoming economic amid a very high-price environment, according to Jennings-Gray.",{"type":576,"attrs":656,"content":657},{"textAlign":49},[658],{"text":659,"type":581},"The advantage of shipping ore directly from a mine is that deliveries can begin quickly once a mine is developed, however, refineries which are able to deal with this ore are limited, Jennings-Gray said.",{"type":576,"attrs":661,"content":662},{"textAlign":49},[663],{"text":664,"type":581},"Shipments of direct shipping ore (DSO) have been recorded out of other African nations in 2022, but the continent’s official production figures remain minimal.",{"type":576,"attrs":666,"content":667},{"textAlign":49},[668,670,678],{"text":669,"type":581},"Sinomine, like many other mine operators in Africa, is a ",{"text":671,"type":581,"marks":672},"Chinese-owned company",[673],{"type":674,"attrs":675},"link",{"href":676,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":677},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/byd-eyes-african-lithium-as-chinese-companies-invest-in-continent","url",{"text":679,"type":581},". Although the company won’t be affected by the ban as it already processes the ore into concentrate, Jennings-Gray explained that China’s large presence in the region is not without risk.",{"type":576,"attrs":681,"content":682},{"textAlign":49},[683],{"text":684,"type":581},"Xingfeng, a Chinese lithium developer in Namibia, exports around 50,000 tonnes of DSO per month from the country. If Namibia were to enact a similar ban to Zimbabwe, the company would have to concentrate the ore before shipping out, potentially keeping a greater proportion of the added value in Namibia.",{"type":576,"attrs":686,"content":687},{"textAlign":49},[688],{"text":689,"type":581},"Africa’s lithium industry remains nascent, and with foreign investment beginning to be pumped into the nation, particularly from Chinese companies, the continent still has a number of geopolitical and environmental issues to iron out.",{"type":576,"attrs":691,"content":692},{"textAlign":49},[693],{"text":694,"type":581},"“These African nations are at risk of not capturing some of the value that Chinese companies enjoy,” Jennings-Gray said. “[This ban] is cracking down on ensuring that some of the value-add goes back to the country where the material is mined and also allows for more stringent ESG standards.”","This week Zimbabwe’s government banned the export of unprocessed lithium ores, citing concerns over increased trade by artisanal miners. Beyond artisanal mining, the ban will also encourage lithium developers in the country to process the raw lithium ore into a concentrated form before exporting it to China or elsewhere to produce battery-grade lithium chemicals. All […]",[697],{"slug":564,"name":565,"content":698},{"job_title":567,"image":699,"bio":570,"linkedin":571},{"filename":569},"\u003C!--#storyblok#{\"name\": \"article\", \"space\": \"\", \"uid\": \"5e937ff4-69ef-4d92-8880-1ef2f0bea5a0\", \"id\": \"\"}-->","article",[703,706,709],{"slug":704,"name":705},"critical-minerals","Critical Minerals",{"slug":707,"name":708},"geopolitics","Geopolitics",{"slug":710,"name":8},"lithium","private",{"id":49,"alt":625,"name":625,"focus":625,"title":625,"source":625,"filename":713,"copyright":625,"fieldtype":714,"meta_data":715,"is_external_url":51},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/65b4a8a208/bm-shutterstock-603910874-1293753d04d9.jpg","asset",{"alt":625,"title":625,"source":625,"copyright":625},"Dec 23, 2022","23rd December 2022",[],[],1783529664503]