LOHUM Acquires Zimbabwe Lithium Mining Rights, Invests USD 100 Million to Build 30,000 Tonnes LCE Capacity

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 27, India's critical minerals company LOHUM acquired rights to 10 spodumene-bearing blocks in Matabeleland South Province, Zimbabwe, covering a total area of approximately 1,100 hectares, and has completed its first shipment of lithium ore. The company plans to invest approximately USD 100 million to build approximately 30,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) capacity within the next 2 to 3 years. LOHUM estimates that the initial blocks may contain 30 million to 40 million tonnes of ore, but this figure is not yet an independently certified resource. The specific block coordinates, mining license numbers, and counterparties have not been disclosed.

LOHUM plans to establish an integrated "mining—beneficiation—lithium sulfate processing" system in Zimbabwe, whereby lithium sulfate will be produced locally and then shipped to India for further processing into lithium carbonate and entry into the cathode materials segment. The company is also building a 5,000-tonne-per-year cathode active material facility in Uttar Pradesh, India, to accommodate downstream lithium salt products.

Zimbabwe is tightening its lithium ore export policies. In February 2026, the country temporarily suspended lithium concentrate exports; after resuming in April, it shifted to a quota management system and required companies to submit local processing commitments. The current plan requires halting lithium concentrate exports from 2027 onward, pushing companies to build deeper processing capabilities such as lithium sulfate locally. LOHUM will need to simultaneously build beneficiation and lithium salt processing facilities to align with the new export and localization requirements.

Currently, several lithium mining companies in Zimbabwe are advancing local processing. Huayou Cobalt's Arcadia project has established a mining, beneficiation, and lithium sulfate processing system; Sinomine Resource's Bikita project is building a 100,000-tonne-per-year lithium sulfate project; and Chengxin Lithium's Sabi Star and Yahua Group's related Kamativi projects have also entered the local lithium resource development chain.