Industrial heart Zimbabwe is growing its status as a battery-minerals hub. The country has given the nod to a project to set up a US$2.8 billion battery-minerals park in Mapinga, which will process metals including lithium, platinum and nickel, according to Mining.com. Scheduled for completion in 2025, the 30 km2 to 50 km2 park – a joint project between Hong Kong Eagle International Investments and Pacific Goal Investments – will reportedly include a US$450 million lithium-salt plant, a US$1 billion nickel-sulphate plant and a US$500 million nickel-chromium alloy smelter. In addition, two 300 MW power plants each costing US$250 million are planned to provide electricity to the various refineries. 27 September 2022 Image: Gallo/Getty Images