Manono-Kitolo mine
The Manono-Kitolo mine is a former tin and coltan mine, which also contains one of the largest lithium reserves globally, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The mine is located in southern Democratic Republic of the Congo in Tanganyika Province. The Manono-Kitolo mine has reserves amounting to 120 million tonnes of lithium ore grading 0.6% lithium thus resulting 0.72 million tonnes of lithium.
History
Original mine
The mine was run by Géomines from 1915 to the mid-1980s, producing 140,000 tons of cassiterite and 10,000 tons of columbite-tantalite. Since the mine's closure, companies have focused on the large lithium reserves at the site.Lithium project
In 2018 studies reported a significant high-grade lithium deposit, estimated to have the potential of 1.5 billion tons of lithium spodumene hard rock situated in Manono in central DRC. AVZ Minerals, an Australian company, initially claimed to hold a 75% stake in a joint venture with the Congolaise d'Exploitation Minière, a State-owned enterprise.In 2021, AVZ agreed to sell a 24% stake in the venture to the Chinese battery manufacturer CATL for $240 million.