Lotus Resources Limited has begun hot commissioning at its Kayelekera Uranium Project in Malawi after successfully restarting a key milling facility, keeping the company on schedule to deliver its first batch of uranium oxide (U₃O₈) this quarter.

The refurbishment of the Kayelekera processing plant is nearing completion, with key areas including crushing, grinding, pre-leach, and leach circuits now in hot commissioning. Lotus is currently feeding mineralised waste through the mill to verify performance ahead of transitioning to ore feed. The restart of the SAG mill follows the completion of refurbishment works, alignment, and the loading of grinding media.

The company reported that commissioning of downstream areas, including the elution, precipitation, drying, and packaging circuits, is also underway. This progress supports the company’s plan to produce its first batch of uranium within the current quarter.

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Lotus Managing Director Greg Bittar said restarting the mill marks a critical achievement in the company’s restart plans.
“Following the completion of extensive mill refurbishment, alignment and grinding media loading, we have restarted the Kayelekera mill. With the mill being such a critical aspect of the processing plant refurbishment, achieving its restart is a terrific milestone ahead of production at Kayelekera,” Bittar said.

While in Malawi for the mill restart, the company also met with the Government of Malawi, including the Ministry of Mining, to provide updates on the project’s progress and readiness for uranium production.

The Kayelekera project remains fully funded, with Lotus holding A$77.3 million in cash (unaudited) and no debt drawn as at the end of June 2025. Once in production, Kayelekera is expected to become a significant supplier of uranium, contributing to the growing global demand for clean energy sources.