Firering Restarts Limeco Quicklime Plant in Zambia and Secures 10-Year Mining Licence
Firering Boosts Zambia Quicklime Output with Licence for 50+ Years of Production
AIM-listed Firering Strategic Minerals has restarted operations at its Limeco quicklime facility in Zambia following upgrades to its kilns, while also securing a ten-year mining licence for its Tier 1 limestone deposit—expected to sustain more than 50 years of production.
The company announced that Kiln 1, which first came online earlier this year, has been refurbished with a new induced draft fan motor and variable speed drive, enabling a steady throughput of 45 to 50 tonnes per day.
The unit was taken offline in July for scheduled maintenance and successfully restarted in August, reaching full operational temperature as planned.
Work is under way on Kiln 2, with final equipment shipments en route from India. Hot commissioning is expected in the coming months, and lessons from Kiln 1 are being applied to improve efficiency. Kilns 3 and 4 are set to follow, with a long-term goal of scaling production to 600–800 tonnes per day across Limeco’s eight-kiln plant.
CEO Yuval Cohen welcomed the progress, noting that growing demand supported the expansion:
“We are delighted with the progress at Limeco, which gives us confidence as we roll out the plan to bring further kilns online. A strengthening sales pipeline with a more diverse product range firmly puts Limeco on track to become a leading supplier of high-quality quicklime to the region.”
Firering reported strong demand across all product categories, with sufficient interest to support the ramp-up of additional kilns. The company recently completed its first sale of lower-grade quicklime—once considered unsaleable—creating a new revenue stream.
To drive growth, Firering has appointed an experienced in-house salesperson familiar with Zambia’s quicklime market and is evaluating additional product lines for both local and regional markets.
Feedstock for Kiln 1 is currently drawn from a 150,000-tonne stockpile, but the newly granted licence will enable direct mining once this supply depletes. Mining operations are expected to begin in Q4 2026.
The licence, valid for ten years with renewal options, covers a JORC-compliant resource of 145.2 million tonnes at 95.7% calcium carbonate. This includes 11.8 million tonnes measured, 55.4 million tonnes indicated, and 78 million tonnes inferred—sufficient to sustain over half a century of production.
