ARGENTINE LITHIUM: The first lithium carbonate project to start...

ARGENTINE LITHIUM: The first lithium carbonate project to start producing in the Puna region of Salta will be Centenario Ratones, located in the salt flat of the same name, starting in July. It is run by the subsidiary company Eramine South America and is being developed with capital from the French mining company Eramet and its Chinese partner Tsingshan.

To put the mine into operation, the investment will reach 800 million dollars. It will have a capacity to manufacture 24,000 tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate per year. It has more than 500 direct positions and more than 1700 indirect positions. Construction of Centenario Ratóns resumed in 2022, after it had been put on hold in 2020 due to financial inconveniences. The building was activated after the Chinese group Tsingshan joined the project, with a 49.9% stake in the shares.

Another major plant that is in the final stages of construction is the Mariana project, run by the Chinese company Ganfeng Lithium. The investment in the project is around 600 million dollars and generates more than 1,300 direct and indirect jobs at this stage. It will produce 20,000 tons of lithium carbonate per year, according to estimates