Premier African Minerals Limited said commissioning activities at its Zulu Lithium and Tantalum Project in Zimbabwe continue to progress in line with guidance for completion during the second quarter of 2026.
Managing director Graham Hill said the company remains focused on a disciplined and methodical commissioning process at the new flotation plant and associated processing circuits ahead of full commercial operations.
Following successful cold and wet commissioning tests, Premier confirmed that hot commissioning using ore feed has now commenced.
The company said hot commissioning has already been successfully completed across the crushing plant, milling circuit and mica flotation plant.
The remaining major milestone is commissioning of the new spodumene flotation section and production of saleable spodumene concentrate.
Premier said its engineering team is currently working alongside commissioning and optimisation specialists from Xinhai Technology to finalise operational planning for this stage.
The company also confirmed that its mining contractor is prepared to mobilise additional equipment to meet expected ore feed requirements once production ramps up.
Installation and testing of the final major mechanical component for the spodumene flotation plant — the air blower system — has now been completed successfully.
Extended wet commissioning and operational testing have also continued across both the new and existing flotation circuits to verify flow rates and identify any operational issues before full production begins.
In addition, the plant’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system has been recommissioned and fully integrated into the updated flotation plant configuration.
Premier said progress to date continues supporting management’s expectation that the current commissioning programme remains on track for completion during Q2 2026.
