Tsingshan Announces $800M FDI to Expand Steel Production in Zimbabwe

On 22 August 2025, during a media event, Tsingshan Project Director Wilfred Motsi announced that, Dinson Iron & Steel Company (DISCO), a subsidiary of Tsingshan, plans to invest USD 800 million to augment production capacity. This fresh injection of Foreign Direct Investment (#FDI) will be allocated mostly to upgrade the blast furnace to double the annual production capacity from 0.6 to 1.2 million tonnes of steel.

Due to the unavailability and unreliability of the grid, Tsingshan had to build its own 50-MW thermal power plant to run its operations. Heat generated from the furnace will be recovered to generate electricity.

Currently, the import bill of Zimbabwe for iron and steel amounts to nearly USD one billion annually. Therefore, in addition to creating jobs locally, the project will allow Zimbabwe to save on precious foreign currency.

In addition to iron, Tsingshan is well established in the mining sector in Zimbabwe. Other than the iron and steel business, the Chinese firm is also involved in lithium, ferrochrome and coal. Coking coal can be used in the blast furnace, and chrome can be used to make special steel.