Manono-Kitolo mine
Location
Manono-Kitolo mine is located in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Manono-Kitolo mine
Manono-Kitolo mine
ProvinceTanganyika Province
CountryDemocratic Republic of the Congo
Coordinates7°17′46″S 27°25′34″E / 7.296°S 27.426°E / -7.296; 27.426
Production
ProductsTin
Tantalum
Niobium
Lithium
History
Opened1915[1]
Closed1982[2]

The Manono-Kitolo mine is a former tin and coltan mine, which also contains one of the largest lithium reserves globally, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[3] The mine is located in southern Democratic Republic of the Congo in Tanganyika Province.[3] The Manono-Kitolo mine has reserves amounting to 120 million tonnes of lithium ore grading 0.6% lithium thus resulting 0.72 million tonnes of lithium.[3]

History

Original mine

The mine was run by Géomines from 1915 to the mid 1980s, producing 140,000 tons of cassiterite (tin) and 10,000 tons of columbite-tantalite (coltan).[1] Since the mine's closure, companies have focused on the large lithium reserves at the site.[2]

Lithium project

In 2018 studies reported a significant high-grade lithium deposit, estimated to have the potential of 1.5 billion tons of lithium spodumene hard rock situated in Manono in central DRC. AVZ Minerals,[4] an Australian company, is developing the Manono lithium and tin project and claims to own (75%) of a joint venture with the Congolaise d'Exploitation Minière (25%) (Cominiere, a State-owned enterprise).[5] The project is known to be the largest lithium spodumene hard rock deposit in the world, larger than the Greenbushes spodumene hard rock deposit in Western Australia.

In 2021, AVZ agreed to sell a 24% stake in the venture to the Chinese battery manufacturer CATL for $240 million.[6] AVZ's acquisition of 15% of the project in August 2021 has been disputed by the company Zijin Mining in the International Court of Arbitration.[7] Zijin points to a Congolese court order that blocked the deal's payments.[8] In January 2023, the DRC mining ministry revoked AVZ's mining license, converting it back to a research permit. During the dispute, Zijin tried to have the northern portion of the license reassigned to them, and offered to let Cominiere keep a $34 million payment if AVZ could be excluded from the mine's ownership.[9]

Manono tailings project

In addition to the new lithium project, as of 2022, the Canada-based Tantalex Resources Corporation was seeking to raise funds to reprocess tailings from the historical Manono mine.[10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Dewaele, S.; Hulsbosch, N.; Cryns, Y.; Boyce, A.; Burgess, R.; Muchez, Ph. (2016). "Geological setting and timing of the world-class Sn, Nb–Ta and Li mineralization of Manono-Kitotolo (Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo)". Ore Geology Reviews. Elsevier BV. 72: 373–390. doi:10.1016/j.oregeorev.2015.07.004. ISSN 0169-1368.
  2. 1 2 Frik Els (2018-12-08). "This Congo project could supply the world with lithium". Mining.com. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  3. 1 2 3 "Global lithium resources" (PDF). uchile.cl. 2012. Retrieved 2013-07-02.
  4. ↑ "AVZ Minerals Limited". AVZ Minerals Limited . Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  5. ↑ Rani, Archana (2022-05-05). "DRC issues ministerial decree for Manono lithium-tin project". Mining Technology. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  6. ↑ (Fotos), Arsène Mpiana; Hoffmann, Heiner (2023-02-09). "Lithium Bonanza: China Battles West for Raw Material of the Future". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  7. ↑ Ouyang, Iris (2022-05-10). "Chinese miner Zijin locks horns with Australia's AVZ over Congo's Manono Lithium Mine in dispute about 15 per cent stake that could decide who controls project". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  8. ↑ Richardson, Tom (2022-10-23). "AVZ, Zijin lithium miners escalate fight for Africa's largest deposit". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  9. ↑ Richardson, Tom (2023-02-17). "Chinese mining giant in secret Africa lithium grab". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  10. ↑ Whitehouse, David (2022-07-22). "Tantalex plans to raise funds for DRC lithium, tantalum, tin production". The Africa Report.com. Retrieved 2022-11-25.
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