….challenges indigines to equally set up lithium processing plants
Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, has visited a 4500 tons per day lithium processing plant, owned by a Chinese company, RSIN Nigeria Limited, that would soon commence producing lithium batteries, in Tudun Wada, Karu Local Government Area.
Engineer Sule visited the ongoing construction site of the lithium processing plant, in Tudun Wada, Karu Local Government Area, on Saturday.
The Governor, who couldn’t hide his excitement with the progress of work at the factory site, said the project is part of the response to his administration’s call for investors to add value to raw materials that are available in the state, rather than export the raw materials for processing somewhere else.
He spoke to the press crew shortly after the Managing Director of RSIN Nigeria Limited, Mr. Jackie Chan, took him through the detailed outlines of the project.
“This is just the continuation of the interest people have been showing in the state. This is again in the area of solid minerals. You can see that I frequent Abuja, especially the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, it’s mainly because of factories such as this one,” he said.
He disclosed that RSIN Nigeria Limited is building the factory in stages, with the final stage enabling the company to process 4,500 tons of Lithium per day.
“They are going to produce what you call the concentrate, they are going to separate the raw material in order to purify the lithium. And from there they can do second stage processing.
“The reason why I like them is because I think they know what they are doing. They are building in three different stages. The first stage is going to be a 1000 metric tones per day. That is the one they said they will finish by December. Then the second stage is going to be another 1500 to make it 2500 capacity. And then the third stage they are going to produce 2000, making it 4500 metric tones capacity. If you remember, recently visited a site which is almost completed now from what I was told in Nasarawa. And that one is producing 3000 metric tones per day. Now you are having 4500,” he added.
Engineer Sule explained that the factory being constructed by RSIN Nigeria Limited is of particular interest because it is being set up in a location that is far from the source of the raw materials, which must be imported even though from within Nasarawa State.
“The reason why this one is exciting is because all along, most of these factories are going to be situated in the area where the raw material is found, that is in Nasarawa Local Government Area. But today, we are seeing another factory where the raw material is actually going to be imported into the factory. That is the difference with this factory. That is why I insisted to visit the factory so that I can see their total commitment. The raw material is going to be imported in the case of this factory. Imported from where the raw materials are found. There is a little bit of it here in Karu but most of it is going to come from Nasarawa Local Government and other local government areas. It’s to show you how industrialization works. People look at other reasons for siting their industry rather than the presence of the raw material,” he stated.
While expressing optimism by the level of response so far by investors, especially with the near completion of another 3000 tones per day lithium processing plant in Nasarawa Local Government Area, Engineer Sule however challenged indigenes of the state to take up from there and to invest in lithium factories that could process 10000 tones and above per day and to further expand the business.
Earlier, Managing Director, RSIN Nigeria Limited, Mr. Jackie Chan, said his firm is building a lithium processing plant that would produce lithium batteries in phases.
Mr. Chan added that, they are committing huge resources to make the project a reality.
“We are going to build a lithium processing plant about 1000 tones per day. This is our first stage. In our first stage we are going to produce lithium carbonate. After lithium carbonate, we are going to produce lithium batteries,” he stated.
The Governor, who used the opportunity of the visit to link the management of RSIN Nigeria Limited with another Chinese investor who is into lithium mining in Nasarawa Local Government Area, was accompanied on the visit by the Chairman of Karu Local Government Area, Hon. James Thomas, among other top government officials.