Mining News - Page 5

A public-private training agreement was finalized. The profiling of 85 workers was carried out, and two-month training programs in mining, production and tourism will move forward.

Aldebaran Resources announced the final results of the 2025-2026 campaign. The program will provide information for the resource update planned for 2026 and the Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) scheduled for 2027.

The French company plans to add 11,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate equivalent to its operation in Salta. The expansion would increase the plant’s nominal capacity to 35,000 tonnes.

POSCO, Rio Tinto and Galan Lithium will inaugurate three plants and an expansion during October. The Provincial Government highlighted the “historic moment” for lithium.

Global lithium reserves are sufficient for more than 125 years at 2025 extraction rates, but demand could exceed 3.5 million tonnes of LCE by 2035.

Argentina holds nearly 21% of the world’s lithium resources and around 12% of global reserves. With seven projects in operation, 16 advanced-stage developments and more than 40 projects in exploration, production could increase nearly fivefold by 2035. Output is projected to reach 573,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent over the next decade.

Lithium accounted for 15% of Argentina’s mining exports in 2025, at US$911 million, and is projected to exceed US$2.5 billion in 2026. INDEC’s Mining Industrial Production Index confirms the strong increase in lithium production and related products, with lithium carbonate output up 44.3% between January and July.

Lithium carbonate equivalent prices could average US$21,363 per tonne next year, in a market shaped by moderate supply growth and evolving demand from electric vehicles and battery energy storage systems.

Inclusion in the regime provides predictability for the project, which expects a peak of 3,500 workers during construction, while the reactivation of Alumbrera moves forward.

Cobre San Romeleo plans to process 40 tonnes of oxidized ore per day to supply the production of fungicides used in viticulture.

Cerro Quebrado S.A. was the sole bidder in Public Tender No. 2/2026 and will negotiate an exploration contract with a purchase option with Impulsa Mendoza for the copper project.

The amount represents a year-on-year increase of 67.5% and is equivalent to 88% of the mining exports recorded during all of 2025. Lithium increased its share of the sector’s exports and reached US$1.126 billion during the first half of the year.

The commissioning of Plant 2 completes a new stage of POSCO’s integrated complex in northern Argentina and opens the way for a larger-scale expansion.

The Governor of Salta is participating in Argentina Week, where he highlighted the province’s conditions for attracting investment and identified mining, energy and agribusiness as strategic sectors.

Maximiliano Davico, Country Manager of Sandvik Argentina, highlighted the role of training and anticipated strong growth for the company in Argentina.

The result corresponds to the Santiago body and was obtained during the 2026 campaign. Minas Argentinas will continue drilling to evaluate the continuity of the mineralization.

Torsten Ericsson, Sweden’s Ambassador to Argentina, discussed opportunities for Swedish companies and the contribution of technology, training and mining expertise.

The corridor seeks to connect Argentina’s mining-rich northwest and Vaca Muerta with Atlantic ports, with support from the U.S. EXIM Bank and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.

Hydraulic testing at the lithium project in Salta achieved pumping rates of up to 25 liters per second, while the recommended operating rate was established at 20 L/s, above the 15 L/s assumed in the Preliminary Economic Assessment. The company is conducting additional testing to refine its hydrogeological model as it advances toward a prefeasibility study.

The province of San Juan hosted the fourth edition of the Swedish Mining Initiative, the first to be held outside Buenos Aires. The event included presentations on the range of solutions developed by the Scandinavian country for the mining sector, with potential applications in Argentina.