The Argentine province of Catamarca inaugurates this month four lithium plants and expansions with a combined investment of 2 billion dollars. The companies Posco, Rio Tinto, and Galan Lithium lead the projects.
The Argentine province of Catamarca is experiencing a historic October for its mining sector: four lithium projects will inaugurate plants and production expansions throughout the month, with a combined investment of around 2 billion dollars, according to infobae.com.
The governor Raúl Jalil celebrated the announcements on his social media and linked the progress to the current regulatory framework: "Today, with tools like the RIGI, Catamarca attracts world-class projects that strengthen our position in the energy transition."
The first inauguration took place on October 6, when the South Korean miner Posco launched the second plant of the Sal de Oro project, in the Salar del Hombre Muerto, at the border between Salta and Catamarca. The facility has the capacity to produce 23,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate using conventional technology, aimed at batteries and energy storage systems.
Rio Tinto has two openings planned for the final stretch of October. The first is a new plant in the Sal de Vida project, with an expected capacity of 15,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate. The second is the Fénix 1B expansion, also in the Salar del Hombre Muerto, which will increase the production capacity of that project to 38,000 tonnes per year.
The company reported this week that it has already allocated more than 1.8 billion dollars to Argentine suppliers across its local operations. In Fénix 1B, 99% of the contracts awarded during the last reported period went to national companies, with Catamarca concentrating 153.6 million dollars, according to company data.
Meanwhile, the Australian miner Galan Lithium plans to inaugurate the plant of the Hombre Muerto Oeste (HMW) project during October, also in the Salar del Hombre Muerto, with a projected capacity of 5,000 tonnes per year. The exact date has yet to be confirmed.
In parallel, Galan Lithium signed a direct contribution agreement to the Mining Royalties Trust Fund for 300,000 dollars, aimed at financing works for the adaptation and new layout of Provincial Route No. 43. The company is also present in the RIGI: Hombre Muerto Oeste is among the 13 mining projects approved under the regime, with a total reported investment of 292 million dollars.
Beyond these inaugurations, last week the RIGI Evaluation Committee approved the entry of Minera Alumbrera-Agua Rica (MARA), from Glencore, with an estimated investment of 4 billion dollars. With this addition, the mining projects under the regime increased to 13 and the total associated investment rose to 25.23 billion dollars.
MARA is a large-scale copper, gold, silver, and molybdenum project located in Catamarca. It will utilize the existing infrastructure of Alumbrera for mineral processing. The company plans to disburse 771 million dollars during the first two years, with construction starting in November 2027 and operations commencing in October 2031.
You may also like
