Ikigo gikora imirimo ijyanye n’ubucukuzi bw’amabuye y’agaciro, Aterian PLC, cyatangaje ko ubushakashatsi bw’ibanze cyakoze, bwagaragaje ko mu Rwanda hari amabuye ya ‘Lithium’ ya mbere meza

Ni ubushakashatsi Aterian PLC ikomoka mu Bwongereza yafatanyijemo n’ikigo Rio Tinto gisanzwe gikora ubucukuzi bw’amabuye y’agaciro mu Rwanda. Bwakorewe mu Majyepfo y’u Rwanda.

Aterian ikorera imirimo mu bihugu birimo u Rwanda, Botswana na Maroc. Yibandaga ahanini ku bushakashatsi n’ubucukuzi bw’amabuye y’agaciro.

Mu itangazo Aterian PLC yashyize hanze kuri uyu wa Kane tariki 10 Nyakanga 2025, yatangaje ko ubushakashatsi yakoze bwagaragaje ko mu Rwanda hari amabuye y’agaciro ya ‘lithium’ yo ku rwego rwa mbere mu bwiza.

Ubu bushakashatsi bwakozwe hafatwa impagararizi 2274 z’ubutaka butandukanye. Bwagarayemo ibinyabutabire bya ‘pathfinder’ na ‘spodumene’ bikunze kuba ahari lithium.

Muri ubu bushakashatsi hacukuwe umwobo muremure wahawe izina rya ‘MWOG0002’. Bageze muri metero 174,6 batangiye kubona lithium iri ku kigero gitandukanye, harimo n’iyo ku rwego rwo hejuru.

Uku gucukura kwabereye mu duce tubiri, gusa biteganyijwe ko bigomba gukorerwa ahagera kuri 12.

Umuyobozi Mukuru wa Aterian PLC, Simon Rollason, yavuze ko bishimiye ibyo ubu bushakashatsi bwagaragaje, ashimangira ko ari intambwe ikomeye.

Ati “Tunejejwe n’ibyavuye muri uku gucukura kw’ibanze, kwagaragaje ko hari ibinyubutabire bya spodumene bifite ibimenyetso bya lithium […] kuri iyi nshuro bwo twabonye ibi binyabutabire mu mwobo wa MWOG0002, bifitanye isano na lithium nziza ku rwego rwa mbere.”

Yakomeje avuga ko “nubwo hakenewe akandi kazi mu gusuzuma ingano y’umushinga n’uburyo uzakomeza, ibi bimenyetso by’ibanze bitanga intangiriro nziza yo kubakiraho mu gukomeza ibikorwa byacu by’ubushakashatsi mu Rwanda.”

Lithium ni amabuye yatangiye kuvugwa mu Rwanda mu 2020; uwo mwaka ni na bwo agaciro kayo ku isoko mpuzamahanga katangiye gutumbagira, igiciro cya toni imwe yayo kiva kuri 44.090$ cyariho mu 2022 kigera kuri 61,520% mu 2023.

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.

Lithium ni ibuye ry’agaciro ryavumbuwe mu 1817 na Johan August Arfvedson. Ryifashishwa mu gukora ibintu bitandukanye birimo bateri za telefone, iza mudasobwa, iza camera n’ibindi bikoresho by’ikoranabuhanga.

Mbere ya 2020, abari bazi agaciro k’iri buye bari mbarwa cyane ko n’igiciro cyaryo cyari hasi. Mu Ukuboza k’uwo mwaka nibura ikilo kimwe cya lithium cyaguraga 9$ (9000Frw), kivuye kuri 20,5$ cyaguraga muri Mutarama 2018.

Gutakaza agaciro kw’iri buye byatewe ahanini n’ingano nini yari yashyizwe ku isoko mu 2020 bihurirana n’icyorezo cya COVID-19.

Umwaka wa 2021 wabaye nk’uw’umugisha ku bantu bari mu bucuruzi bwa Lithium kuko igiciro cyayo cyazamutse ku kigero kirenga 600%, muri Mata uwo mwaka kigera kuri $78 000 (arenga miliyoni 78Frw) kuri toni.

Gutumbagira kw’agaciro ka Lithium byatewe ahanini n’imbaraga zashyizwe mu ikorwa ry’imodoka z’amashanyarazi zikenera bateri nini zishobora kumarana umuriro igihe kinini.

Mu 2021, inganda zitandukanye zagurishije imodoka zikoresha amashanyarazi miliyoni 6,6, zikubye kabiri ugereranyije n’izari zagurishijwe mu 2020.

Abahanga mu bucuruzi bw’amabuye y’agaciro bagaragaza ko Lithium izakomeza kuba imari ishyushye kuko umubare w’imodoka z’amashanyarazi zikorwa ugenda urushaho kwiyongera ndetse bikaba biteganyijwe ko bizagera mu 2030 hamaze kugurishwa izirenga miliyoni 26.

Kugeza ubu mu bihugu bigurisha lithium nyinshi ku Isi harimo Chile, u Bushinwa, u Buholandi, Koreya, u Budage n’u Bubiligi.

Mu 2020 nibwo u Rwanda rwatangaje ko na rwo mu bushakashatsi bw’ibanze rwari rumaze gukora rwasanze narwo rufite aya mabuye y’agaciro, aho ku ikubitiro yavuzwe mu Karere ka Ngororero.