Trymore Tagwirei
Premier African Minerals Limited (AIM: PREM) has completed a major on-site engineering audit at its Zulu Lithium and Tantalum Project, paving the way for expanded production and operational improvements.
According to the company, the audit focused on assessing the plant’s pumping systems, pipeline performance, and water and mass balance, providing key insights into the operational efficiency of the current flotation plant.
The findings have prompted Premier African Minerals to accelerate plans to boost production capacity, with the company announcing the acquisition, installation, and commissioning of a 15–20 tonnes-per-hour (TPH) flotation cell plant.
Manufactured by Xinhai Technology Processing EPC, the new flotation unit is designed to complement the existing system and enhance Zulu’s processing capacity.
A high-level interim audit report is expected shortly, followed by a detailed full report in the coming week. The findings, alongside ongoing commercial discussions with Premier’s prepayment and offtake partner, will help determine the short-term operational potential of the flotation plant and its ability to meet the required grade and tonnage for sustainable production.
While reaffirming confidence in the design capacity of the existing plant, Premier said the decision to proceed with the new flotation plant followed a detailed financial analysis. The move reflects the company’s commitment to scaling up production rapidly and positioning Zulu for long-term success.
The Xinhai-built plant, currently located in Harare, employs a proven metallurgical recovery process successfully used on similar ores in Zimbabwe. Integrating the secondary flotation system is expected to increase processing capacity and accelerate the path to commercial production.
Premier African Minerals Managing Director Graham Hill said the audit was critical to ensuring stable and consistent operations.
“The intention of the audit is to look into all those parts of the process plant that connect the major equipment. To achieve stable and consistent operations, all parts of the plant need to be balanced in terms of mass and water flows,” Hill said.
“With the audit’s practical engineering recommendations and recent adjustments to the current plant, we remain hopeful that it can achieve pre-production readiness. Installing the secondary flotation plant will supplement this effort and provide the best opportunity for full production readiness,” he added.
Hill said operating both flotation plants simultaneously would improve throughput and provide further assurance of achieving early commercial production.
The Zulu Lithium and Tantalum Project remains a key pillar in Premier’s growth strategy in southern Africa. The company also holds interests in the RHA Tungsten Mine in Zimbabwe and other assets in Mozambique.
As Premier advances its expansion programme, the Zulu project is expected to play a pivotal role in the company’s long-term growth amid rising global demand for lithium — a key component in electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy storage.
