Trymore Tagwirei
Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe’s (PLZ) Arcadia Mine has recorded a 48.3 percent surge in production during the first quarter of 2025, delivering 128,348.68 tonnes of spodumene concentrate, Q 1 2025 production report revealed.
The Q1 2025 summarises the output of a company or operation during the first quarter of the year. The report may also highlight key trends, variances from previous periods or targets and any factors influencing production levels.
It typically includes details on the quantity of goods produced, potentially broken down by product line, location and other relevant categories.
The company reported a steady monthly increase in output 34,057 tonnes in January, 43,791.68 tonnes in February, and 50,500 tonnes in March highlighting consistent operational momentum at one of Africa’s largest hard-rock lithium deposits.
“This strong performance reflects Arcadia’s optimized operations and the robust demand for lithium as a battery mineral,” PLZ said in a statement.
The Q1 uptick follows a record-breaking year in 2024, where lithium concentrates exports from the mine rose by 41 percent year-on-year, reaching nearly 400,000 tonnes, according to Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt the Chinese mining giant that owns PLZ.
As part of its expansion strategy, the company began constructing a 50,000-tonne-per-annum lithium sulfate plant in 2024. The facility is expected to significantly cut logistics costs and help Zimbabwe transition from raw mineral exports to value-added products, aligning with the government’s beneficiation policy.
“The sulfate plant will slash logistics costs and position Zimbabwe as a player in the midstream lithium market,” PLZ said.
The move comes as Zimbabwe pushes to ban raw lithium exports by 2027 to promote local processing and capture greater economic value from its mineral wealth.
The southern African nation earned US$500 million from lithium exports in 2023, underlining the sector’s rapid growth and its importance to the country’s ambitious US$12 billion mining roadmap.
Other major lithium operations Sandawana, Bikita Minerals, Zulu Lithium, and Arcadia are also ramping up production to meet soaring global demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries and energy storage systems.
With a measured and indicated resource of 58.3 million tonnes at 1.21 percent Li₂O and a projected mine life exceeding nine years, Arcadia is set to play a pivotal role in securing Zimbabwe’s position in the global battery minerals supply chain.
Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, one of the world’s largest cobalt producers, acquired Arcadia Mine in a US$422 million deal with Australia’s Prospect Resources, solidifying China’s strategic footprint in Zimbabwe’s critical minerals sector.
