Kodal says Mali lithium exports blocked due to permit delays
Regulatory hurdles in Mali have left British miner Kodal Minerals unable to export more than 20,000 metric tons of lithium concentrate, its chief executive Bernard Aylward told Reuters.
Kodal's blocked shipments come as global lithium production is already expected to drop this year - potentially by 228,000 tons - as miners curtail operations due to plummeting prices for the metal, used in electric vehicle batteries.
Kodal, which launched production in February, has agreed to sell its entire output to China's Hainan Mining, Aylward said.
"We're spending money to produce a product that we want to sell ... Our buyer actually wants to buy it, [but] we can't export," he said.
Spokespeople for Mali's mining and trade ministries did not respond to requests for comment.
Long a major gold producer, the West African nation is seeking to develop its significant lithium reserves at a time when its military government is also asserting more control over the mining sector in a bid to generate more revenues.
Malian authorities have arrested foreign executives and seized gold stocks as they negotiate with multinational gold miners.
In Kodal's case, Aylward said officials have been scrutinising a pricing mechanism to ensure the spodumene concentrate produced at the firm's Bougouni project is sold at prevailing market rates.
He said the company has been locked in negotiations for final approvals since last year and is now finalising its export permit in the hopes of sending its first shipment in mid-June.
"Other operations in Mali are also having delays in the export permits. It is not restricted to the Kodal team," he added.
China's Ganfeng Lithium, which operates Mali's only other lithium mine, did not respond to a request for comment.
Comments
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
SmartMine IoT has been developed with the mining industry in mind, to provides our customers with powerful business intelligence and data modelling...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Leading condition monitoring specialists, WearCheck, help boost machinery lifespan and reduce catastrophic component failure through the scientific...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
