Fabrice Nahimana Mu bihe bitarambiranye u Rwanda ruzaba rwungutse ikirombe kiri mu 10 bya mbere ku Isi bibitse amabuye y’agaciro ya lithium menshi, aho ubu hateganywa igifite toni zigera kuri miliyoni 60.
Byagaragariye mu bushakashatsi bw’ibanze buri gukorwa na Trinity Metals, kimwe mu bigo bifatiye runini u Rwanda mu bijyanye n’amabuye y’agaciro.
Lithium ni amabuye y’ingenzi kuko aboneka mu bihugu bike, kuyasimbuza andi bigoye ndetse ashakishwa kurusha uko ricukurwa.
Lithium yavumbuwe mu 1817 na Johan August Arfvedson. Yifashishwa mu gukora ibintu birimo bateri za telefone, iza mudasobwa, iza camera n’ibindi bikoresho by’ikoranabuhanga, ariko rigacukurwa hake ku Isi.
Abo muri Trinity Metals batangiye ubushakashatsi mu 2018 bikorewe mu kirombe cya Musha-Ntunga mu Karere ka Rwamagana.
Bari bari gushaka coltan na gasegereti. Bageze kuri metero 250 mu bujyakuzimu hacukurwa utwobo duto dufite umurambararo wa milimetero ziri hagati ya 60 na 80 ibizwi nka ‘drilling’, bahasanga ibuye ryitwa spodumene rivamo icyuma cya lithium, ariko bisa n’abahagarariye aho, na cyane ko igiciro cya lithium kitari gishamaje.
Mu 2021/22, habaye gutumbagira kw’igiciro cya lithium, kiva hagati ya 5000$ na 7000$ kuri toni kigera ku bihumbi 60$ na 70$, bitewe ahanini n’imbaraga zashyizwe mu ikorwa ry’imodoka z’amashanyarazi zikenera bateri nini zishobora kumarana umuriro igihe kinini.
Trinity Metals ibibonye na yo yahise ikomeza ubushakashatsi bwayo.
Umuyobozi Mukuru wa Trinity Nyakabingo Mine (kimwe mu bigo bya Trinity Metals Group) , Justin Nsengiyumva, aganira na IGIHE yakomeje ati “Mu 2023/24 twaracukuye tugeza kuri metero ziri hagati ya 600 na 700 z’ubujyakuzimu tubona amabuye aracyahari.
Dukoze ikigereranyo tubona tuzaba dufite toni hagati ya miliyoni 35 na miliyoni 60 z’indiri ya lithium. Twabonye n’ubwiza bwayo buri hejuru cyane kuko buri kuri 1,5%.”
Ibi bisobanuye ko mu bilo 100 by’ubutaka, havamo lithium ingana n’ikilo 1,5. Ntabwo aba ari amabuye make kuko haba hacukurwa ubutaka bwinshi bubarirwa muri toni nka 1000 ku munsi.
Nsengiyuma ati “Uba unakuramo lithium nyinshi. Ni ibintu ucukura ari byinshi ukanabigurisha ari byinshi. Nidutangira gucukura tuzaba turi mu birombe 10 ku Isi bifite iri buye.”
Lithium yabonywe na Trinity Metals iri ku buso bungana na metero 600 kuri 400. Icyakora byagaragaye ko iri ahantu hanini kuko ikirombe cya Musha-Ntunga kiri ku buso bwa hegitari 6500 ku buryo hitezwe ko lithium yakwiyongera.
Nsengiyumva ati “N’ibimenyetso birahari bitwereka ko n’aha tuzayibona, na hariya tuzayibona ariko duhera hafi kandi tubona byinshi.”
Lithium ni imari ikomeye muri iyi Isi, aho abantu bari kuva ku modoka zikoresha ibikomoka kuri peteroli bajya ku z’amashanyarazi. Iri buye ryifashishwa cyane mu gukora izi bateri.
Mu mwaka utaha Trinity Metals izaba yinjiye mu cyiciro cya gatatu cy’ubushakashatsi kireba uburyo aya mabuye ari mu ntera nini yacukurwa, kabone n’iyo ingano yayo yagabanywa, wenda hakagerwa muri toni hagati ya miliyoni 40 na toni miliyoni 45.
Ibi bizasaba kongera gucukura indi myobo, yiyongera kuyacukuwe. Muri iki gice kandi hazakorwamo inyingo y’uko iri buye rizatunganywa rikavamo icyuma cya lithium ikoreshwa muri bateri.
Nsengiyumva ati “Kugira ngo uve ku ibuye ugere kuri cya cyuma gishyirwa muri bateri, urwo ruganda ntabwo rwagutwara munsi ya miliyari 1$. Twebwe turashaka kuyikura kuri ya 1,5% tukayigeza hagati ya 8% na 11% kuko ntiyaharenga.”
Nsengiyumva yavuze ko bazakoresha ikoranabuhanga kugira ngo aya mabuye ari mu bujyakuzimu bwinshi.
Umuyobozi wa Trinity Metals, Peter Geleta, aherutse kubwira IGIHE ko bagiye gushora miliyoni 100$ (arenga miliyari 145 Frw) mu bucukuzi bw’amabuye y’agaciro, ikube hafi kabiri umusaruro ibona.
Kugeza ubu Trinity Metals Group imaze gushora miliyoni 40$ mu birombe birimo icya Nyakabingo gicukurwamo Wolfram, icya Musha gicukurwamo Gasegereti, Coltan na Lithium (ikiri gukorwaho ubushakashatsi) n’icya Rutongo gicukurwamo amabuye ya Gasegereti. Iki kigo gifite abakozi barenga 7000.
Ati “Turi no gukora ku nganda. I Musha hari kubakwa uruganda ruzajya rutunganya toni 12,5 ku isaha. I Rutongo hari urwa toni 30 ku isaha ariko bari kugenda bashyira ku zindi site inganda za toni 12 ku isaha.”
“I Nyakabingo twatangiye gutunganya aho tuzubaka uruganda rwa toni eshanu ku isaha ariko ruzadufasha kwiga urunini ruzaba rufite toni 50 ku isaha. Ruteganyijwe ko rwatangira gukora mu Ukwakira 2027. Ruzatwara nka miliyoni 35$.”
Trinity Metals ni kimwe mu bigo bikomeye u Rwanda rufite. Mu 2024 yohereje mu mahanga amabuye angana na toni 2.226 ya wolfram, gasegereti na coltan, mu 2029 iteganya ko izaba yohereza mu mahanga angana na toni 5.201.
Uretse Trinity Metals, Aterian Plc yo mu Bwongereza na yo iherutse gutangaza ko, ubushakashatsi bw’ibanze yakoze, bwagaragaje ko mu Rwanda hari amabuye ya ‘Lithium’ ya mbere meza.
Aterian Plc yafatanyijemo n’ikigo Rio Tinto gisanzwe gikora ubucukuzi bw’amabuye y’agaciro mu Rwanda. Bwakorewe mu Majyepfo y’u Rwanda.
Muri ubu bushakashatsi hacukuwe umwobo muremure bagera muri metero 174,6 batangiye kubona lithium iri ku kigero gitandukanye, harimo n’iyo ku rwego rwo hejuru.
Muri Kanama 2023, ibikorwa byo gushakisha amabuye y’agaciro byashyizwemo imbaraga, hasinywa amasezerano yahuriyemo ibigo bya Aterian PLC, RIO Tinto Mining and Exploration Ltd na Kinunga Mining Ltd.
Ni amasezerano yateganyaga ko ibikorwa byo gushakisha no gucukura amabuye y’agaciro ya Lithium n’andi ashobora kuboneka bikorerwa ku butaka bungana na hegitari 2.750 z’ubutaka buri mu Ntara y’Amajyepfo.
Kugeza ubu mu bihugu bigurisha lithium nyinshi ku Isi harimo Chile, u Bushinwa, u Buholandi, Koreya, u Budage n’u Bubiligi.
