Governor Alfredo Cornejo addressed U.S. investors, with the legislative approval of environmental permits as one of the central themes of his presentation.
The lithium industry enters 2026 with a different conversation than the one that defined the years of accelerated expansion. New productive capacity is entering the market, prices are showing signs of recovery, and a pipeline of projects is once again putting investment decisions under scrutiny. At the same time, the growth of energy storage is adding a new demand vector, and competition over supply chains keeps lithium on the strategic agenda of the world's leading economies.
Marcelo Orrego, Alfredo Cornejo and Carlos Sadir outlined a shared agenda from San Juan, Mendoza and Jujuy to capture the next wave of mining investment. Predictable rules, infrastructure, permitting timelines and long-term continuity emerged as key priorities.
The development jointly advanced by Lundin Mining and BHP illustrates the scale of Argentina’s next generation of copper projects. Josemaría’s first phase alone will require 260 MW of power and major new transmission infrastructure in the high Andes.
Martín Pérez de Solay, CEO of Glencore Argentina, discussed the conditions needed to develop the country’s next generation of copper projects. The company is pursuing a sequence in Argentina that begins with the restart of Alumbrera and continues with MARA and El Pachón, developments representing US$13.5 billion in investment under their RIGI applications.
DFC, EXIM Bank and USTDA are part of a strategy aimed at mobilizing capital for mining, processing and infrastructure. ARTI and the specific critical minerals framework broaden a bilateral agenda in which copper and lithium hold a strategic position.