But Zimbabwe’s Competition and Tariff Commission said in a June 22 notice that the deal was approved subject to Huayou undertaking to produce battery-grade lithium in Zimbabwe within five years.
Huayou said battery-grade lithium production is not part of the project agreement, but it has had discussions with the competition authority and agreed to explore local production of lithium sulphate ‘only when the construction and economic conditions are right’.
Huayou’s stated plans are to build a concentrator plant to process ore, not a converter to produce battery-grade lithium.