UK company Andrada Mining announced record production of tin in Q1 2023 at its Uis mine in Namibia, which provides the springboard to advance its lithium output at the site.

Andrada Mining, previously Afritin, redeveloped the historic Uis mine in 2017 after nearly three decades of dormancy.

The company has been exploring by-product revenues from tantalum and lithium, both hosted within the deposit. Focussing on lithium, the company plans to commission its bulk sampling pilot plant this month (July 2023) and move towards selling lithium concentrates before the end of the year.

Lithium mineralisation at the Uis mine is in the form of petalite. Petalite has historically been used widely in glass and ceramics end-use applications for decades, though its use as a feedstock for mineral conversion to lithium compounds has been a more recent development. In 2023, petalite concentrates are forecast to represent 1% of lithium contained in mineral concentrate production, with spodumene dominating the market. The growth in petalite mineral concentrate production is expected to maintain market share over the coming decade, with multiple projects in Africa targeting its extraction.   

While tantalum plans have not yet been announced, Project Blue data suggests that the tantalum market will see a structural change in the wake of hard-rock lithium pegmatite projects that make it to market.