Premier African Metals Ltd has temporarily halted operations at its Zulu lithium plant in Zimbabwe while an additional conditioning tank is installed.
To achieve recovery and acceptable SC6 grade requires a final modification to the spodumene float circuit to be profitable, said the miner.
“With no further advances in plant performance without this addition being possible, it is logical to stop the float circuit now and in so doing both expedite the changes to be made and preserve cash to the extent possible.”
Target completion date is now 10 July 2024 and all efforts are targeted at shortening this period.
George Roach, Premier’s chief executive commented: "The overall component cost for this change is minor and modest in the context of the plant, the resource, the overall operation and the future of Zulu.
“I am as deeply frustrated and disappointed as any shareholder would be but the underlying fundamentals of Zulu are compelling."