Zulu Lithium Plant Moves into Optimisation Ph

Zim Now Reporter

Premier African Minerals Limited says its Zulu Lithium and Tantalum Project in Zimbabwe has successfully completed the second phase of its plant test run, with the facility now moving from commissioning to full optimisation.

The company announced on Wednesday that the Zulu plant has achieved saleable spodumene concentrate grades of up to 6.2% Li₂O, surpassing the industry threshold of 5%. Premier said the plant can now run continuously with integrated automation to support ongoing refinement of production quality.

“The process has moved from a commissioning phase to that of a refining and optimising phase as we now look forward to the growth and operational chapter of Zulu,” the company said.

Chief executive George Roach described the milestone as pivotal to Premier’s ambitions of becoming a diversified industrial minerals producer. “The recent rise in spodumene pricing is encouraging, with the potential to transition Zulu from its current position to sustained profitability,” Roach said, adding that additional funding and negotiations on offtake agreements would be critical to advancing operations and settling outstanding debt.

Premier also announced it has postponed the purchase of a secondary flotation plant, allowing its newly appointed managing director time to assess its necessity. Meanwhile, a major trading house has conducted a second site visit and confirmed that supply contracts will depend on the Zulu project consistently producing saleable concentrate.

The company confirmed ENPROTEC, a global engineering solutions group, will continue providing technical support for optimisation of the Stark-designed plant.