Four lithium projects will reach production milestones during October in Catamarca, with the inauguration of new plants and the commissioning of an expansion. With the first official event scheduled for October 6 and other inaugurations toward the end of the month, POSCO, Rio Tinto and Galan Lithium will move forward at Sal de Oro, Sal de Vida, Fénix and Hombre Muerto Oeste.
By Panorama Minero
On October 6, POSCO will hold the official ceremony for the inauguration of its plant. The Korean company, located in the so-called “cooperation zone” between Catamarca and Salta, will inaugurate Sal de Oro’s Lithium Carbonate Plant No. 2, the company’s first plant located in Catamarca, with a projected capacity of 25,000 tonnes per year.
For its part, Rio Tinto is preparing two inaugurations for the end of the month. On the one hand, it will commission a new plant at the Sal de Vida project, with a planned capacity of 15,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year; on the other, at the Fénix project, located in the Salar del Hombre Muerto, it will commission the Fénix 1B expansion, which would increase production capacity to 38,000 tonnes per year.
Galan Lithium plans to inaugurate the plant at the Hombre Muerto Oeste project, also located in the Salar del Hombre Muerto, with a projected capacity of 5,000 tonnes per year. The date has not yet been confirmed.
In parallel, Galan Lithium signed an agreement for a direct contribution of US$300,000 to the Mining Royalties Trust Fund. The contribution is intended to finance upgrading works and a new alignment for Provincial Route No. 43.
Governor Raúl Jalil welcomed the progress of the projects and stated that the province is experiencing “a historic moment for lithium mining.” According to him, after many years of joint work between communities, companies and the Provincial Government, projects are being commissioned that “will enable mining to take off in Catamarca.”
Jalil also stated that the start of production will bring more royalties, more exports, greater development of local suppliers, more local and community employment, and more infrastructure works for the development of the entire western region of Catamarca.
RIGI Support
According to information released by the Provincial Government, the four projects represent investments of US$2.113 billion under the RIGI.
The investments reported for each of the projects are as follows:
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Hombre Muerto Oeste, operated by Australian company Galan Lithium, with an estimated investment of US$217 million.
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Fénix 1B (expansion), operated by Minera del Altiplano - Rio Tinto, with an investment of US$531 million.
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Sal de Oro, operated by POSCO Argentina, located in the so-called cooperation zone on the border between Catamarca and Salta, with an investment of US$547 million.
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Sal de Vida, operated by Galaxy Lithium S.A. - Rio Tinto, with an investment of US$818 million.
These investments are joined by other mining developments in Catamarca, including Diablillos, by AbraSilver; Tres Quebradas, by Zijin-Liex; and MARA (Agua Rica), by Glencore. The latter received approval to enter the RIGI, with a planned investment of around US$4 billion.
