Premier African Minerals says the lithium ban won't halt the Zulu project

Zimbabwe's blanket freeze on lithium concentrate exports just spooked the market, but one company insists its project won't feel the hit.

Premier's Zulu project outlook

• Premier African Minerals says the ban won't derail its Zulu Lithium and Tantalum Project.
• Their new flotation plant is arriving and getting installed right now.
• Zulu sits roughly 80 km from Bulawayo as a major, undeveloped deposit.
• Premier had already pitched a beneficiation plan to the ministry in 2024.

What the export ban actually does

• Zimbabwe axed all lithium concentrate and raw mineral shipments immediately.
• Even stuff already in transit got caught up in the freeze.
• Most exports have historically been unprocessed spodumene concentrate.
• Authorities want refined chemicals leaving the country, not raw ore.

Chinese-run mines face the biggest squeeze

• Sinomine Resource Group operates Bikita Minerals in the country.
• Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt controls the Arcadia mine operation.
• Suzhou TA&A Ultra Clean Technology has put money into Premier itself.
• Large-scale lithium operations bear the real weight here.