Mukudzei Chingwere — The first phase of the construction of the Mines to Energy Industrial Park in Mapinga will begin in June as the Government steps up the minerals value addition and beneficiation drive, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said yesterday.
The mines-to-energy project will include the construction of two 300MW power stations, a coking plant, a lithium salt plant, a graphite processing plant, a nickel-chromium alloy smelter as well as a nickel sulphate plant.
The plant will value-add mainly lithium as well as minerals such as chrome and nickel.
Progress on the industrial park comes after Cabinet last year approved the Lithium Ore Policy anchored on fostering the country's beneficiation capacity, as well as maximising earnings from the country's mineral endowment and putting a stop to the export and smuggling of lithium bearing ores.
Lithium, dubbed the "white gold" or the "mineral of tomorrow", is having a surge in international demand due to its usage in the manufacture of electric vehicles as well as it being a key ingredient in the green energy revolution that has gripped the world.
Zimbabwe is forging ahead with plans to make sure that mining plays its expected sectorial midwifery role towards the attainment of an empowered upper-middle income economy and sustaining rapid economic growth as envisioned by President Mnangagwa.
Speaking after yesterday's Cabinet meeting, Dr Muswere said the chairman of the inter-ministerial committee on the establishment of the Mines to Energy Industrial Park in Mapinga, Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga, had briefed Cabinet on developments.
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"The industrial park will span an area of 500 hectares and will be implemented on a phased basis, with phase one set to begin in June 2024," said Dr Muswere.
"Government will have a shareholding in the project. Government wishes to inform the nation that the Mines to Energy Industrial Park is a lithium value addition and beneficiation project that will have the following facilities/activities: the construction of a coking plant with a capacity of 1,2 million and 130 000 metric tonnes of coke and lithium salt per annum, respectively.
"...the construction of two, 300 megawatt power stations, a graphite processing plant, a nickle chromium alloy smelter and a nickle sulphate plant, together with supportive power supply and logistics".
The Mines to Energy Industrial Park in Mapinga will join the Zimbabwe mining value addition facility under construction at Gwanda State University which is set to start working this year.
The expected coming on stream of the laboratory is expected to give impetus to the mining sector growth which has contributed immensely to the growth of the country's Gross Domestic Product of 8,5 percent in 2021, 6,5 percent in 2022 and 6,2 percent in the first quarter of 2023.
In 2021, mineral production recorded a growth of 5,9 percent, in 2022 it went up by 10,5 percent exceeding National Development Strategy 1 set targets of 7,4 percent.
President Mnangagwa has made it very clear that economic sectors like mining and agriculture should now work on value addition and tertiary education has been capacitated with innovation hubs to drive the novel venture.
