Victor Maphosa

Mashonaland East Bureau

PROSPECT Lithium Zimbabwe (PLZ) has completed the construction of a 70-megawatt thermal power station at the Goromonzi site as the organisation continues to increase production in Zimbabwe.

The plant will power two lithium processing plants operated by Arcadia Technology Zimbabwe, which was recently established to focus on processing lithium and adding value before export.

Currently, the power plant is generating about 45 megawatts. In an interview with Zimpapers on the sidelines of a recent media tour of PLZ, Mr Mthokozisi Goliath, the PLZ mine manager, said they have two lithium processing plants which require a lot of power, hence the establishment of the power plant.

“Here, we have two major plants, which are the concentrator as well as the lithium sulphate plants. Both plants require a lot of energy, that is why we constructed a thermal power station with a capacity of 70 megawatts,” he said.

“This thermal power station was constructed in a record nine months and is now functional. Currently, it is generating between 40 and 55 megawatts. We look forward to ramping up production as we go.”

He said they use about 45 megawatts of power for their two plants.

“The concentrator plant consumes about 20 megawatts, and the sulphate plant consumes about 25 megawatts on full load,” he said.

“We are constructing another third line of production, which is the lithium carbonate production, which requires energy as well.”