Zijin Mining's First Lithium Mine Project in DRC to Start Production in Q1 2026

Zijin Mining's First Lithium Mine Project in the DRC Expected to Commence Production in Q1 2026

Recently, a spokesperson for Zijin Mining stated via email that the company's first lithium mine exploration project in the DRC—the Manono Project—is expected to commence production in Q1 2026. The DRC is the world's second-largest copper producer and the largest cobalt producer. In January 2022, Zijin Mining announced that Katamba Mining, a joint venture established with the DRC's state-owned mining company COMINIERE, held a shareholders' meeting to officially launch Zijin Mining's first lithium mine exploration project. The Manono Lithium Mine in the DRC, majority-owned by Australia's AVZ Minerals, is one of the world's largest open-pit minable LCT (lithium, cesium, tantalum) pegmatite deposits.