During a meeting held in New York within the framework of Argentina Week, the governor of Salta, Gustavo Sáenz, announced the start of exports of lithium carbonate produced at Rio Tinto’s Rincón project.
By Panorama Minero
The announcement was made by the governor following a working meeting between the governors of the Lithium Board: Sáenz (Salta), Raúl Jalil (Catamarca), and Carlos Sadir (Jujuy), with executives from the mining company, including Barbara Fochtman, Managing Director of Rio Tinto Lithium, and Ignacio Costa, General Manager of the company in Argentina.
The company confirmed the first commercial shipment of lithium carbonate produced in Salta, with 200 tonnes distributed in ten containers. The first shipment departed from the Port of Buenos Aires with final destination Shanghai, China, where it will be stored in the company’s facilities for subsequent distribution in the Asian market.
According to authorities, the shipment marks the formal start of exports from the Rincón project and constitutes a new milestone for the mining industry of the province. Last month, China’s Ganfeng Lithium also completed its first export of 240 tonnes.
During the meeting, Rio Tinto executives indicated that Argentina occupies a strategic place within the company’s regional lithium portfolio in South America.
With this progress, the company consolidates its operational presence in the three provinces of the so-called Argentine Lithium Triangle. Rio Tinto maintains operations in Catamarca through the Fénix project, while in Jujuy it participates in the Olaroz operation.
In Salta, the Rincón project contemplates a projected production capacity of 53,000 tonnes per year of battery-grade lithium carbonate, through two production trains. The first module, of 25,000 tonnes per year, is scheduled to begin operations in 2028.
“This concrete step transforms the enormous potential of our resources into development, production and employment for the people of Salta. We continue working to consolidate Salta as a protagonist of the global energy transition,” Governor Sáenz highlighted.
440 tonnes of lithium exported in one month
The first export of lithium carbonate from the Rincón project marks a relevant step for the consolidation of Northwest Argentina (NOA) as one of the lithium production hubs at a global scale. Added to the start of exports from Ganfeng Lithium, the operation confirms the progressive transition of several developments in the NOA from the construction and testing phase toward commercial stages.
With the 200 tonnes from Rio Tinto and the recent 240 tonnes from Ganfeng, Salta has exported in the last month nearly 500 tonnes to Asian markets. This progress not only expands the country’s lithium export base, but also reinforces the positioning of Salta, Jujuy and Catamarca within the international critical minerals market.
The first commercial shipment from the Rincón project, with final destination Shanghai, also reflects a consolidated trend in the lithium market: Asia, and particularly China, is positioned as the main destinations for exports coming from northwest Argentina.
Lithium Board at the Council of the Americas
Following the announcement, the governors of the Lithium Board participated in the meeting organized by the Council of the Americas (AS/COA), one of the main business organizations in the United States, where a dialogue with international corporate and financial leaders took place. The meeting was led by Susan Segal, President and CEO of Americas Society and COA, together with Argentina’s Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo.
In that setting, Sáenz highlighted the institutional conditions of the province for the development of long-term mining investments and stated that Salta has an environment of legal security, predictability and clear rules, factors which, he noted, have contributed to the province currently concentrating the largest number of lithium projects in the country.
