In a week marked by an intense agenda with the main lithium players in the province, Salta’s Minister of Production and Mining, Ignacio Lupión, deepened the institutional and technical relationship with companies leading strategic investments in the province.
By Panorama Minero
The minister’s intense activity, which included tours and meetings with representatives of Ganfeng Lithium, Rio Tinto and POSCO, reflects the Salta government’s interest in direct state support, on-site technical monitoring and a mining policy aimed at lithium industrialization and the creation of skilled employment in Salta.
The three projects are at different stages of construction, expansion and pilot operation, concentrating multi-billion-dollar investments that define the province’s export profile.
In all meetings, the common focus was public-private coordination, regulatory compliance and the need for clear rules to sustain long-term investment decisions.
Ganfeng: Project Monitoring and Institutional Dialogue
At the Government House, Lupión and the Secretary of Mining and Energy, Gustavo Carrizo, received authorities from Ganfeng Lithium Latin America, led by its president Jason Luo and the Director of Legal and Institutional Affairs, Juan Martín Gilly.
The agenda focused on the status and outlook of the Mariana and Pozuelos–Pastos Grandes (PPG) projects, two key assets within the company’s portfolio in the Salta Puna. During the meeting, critical development variables were addressed: investment pace, production planning, strengthening of local suppliers and territorial impact.
Rio Tinto: Industrial Scale and Direct Extraction Technology
The territorial agenda continued with a visit to the Rincón Project, developed by Rio Tinto in the Salar del Rincón.
The tour included the construction areas of the future industrial plant, designed to reach a capacity of 50,000 annual tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate, with production start-up projected toward 2028. The minister reviewed progress on infrastructure, housing modules and long-term operational planning.
A relevant technical focus was the inspection of the Rincón 3000 pilot plant, currently in operation, where direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology is being implemented, considered strategic to improve recovery rates and water efficiency in high-Andean brines.
The visit included the participation of Rio Tinto Lithium’s General Manager in Argentina, Ignacio Costa, along with technical and operational teams. The provincial Executive emphasized that this type of undertaking positions Salta in the global lithium value chain with a focus on in-country industrialization.
POSCO: Operational Consolidation and Skilled Employment
The third stop was the Sal de Oro project, operated by POSCO Argentina in the Salar del Hombre Muerto. There, Lupión held a strategic meeting with the company’s president, Hyeon Park, and toured the industrial complex under development.
The focus was on progress of the lithium carbonate plant, scheduled for completion in 2026, and on the concentration ponds for lithium hydroxide production, within the framework of an industrial expansion incorporating greater added value.
The company reported that, at its most intense stage of construction and operation, the project generated around 5,000 direct and indirect jobs, in addition to consolidating a network of local suppliers.
