Panorama Minero: Latest News

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.

Power, roads, railways and logistics corridors are becoming increasingly important as projects advance. Mining companies, government officials and provincial governors agree that the challenge is no longer simply attracting investment, but creating the conditions to turn it into operating mines.

Interview with Carolina Sánchez, Director of the Institute for the Development of Sustainable Mining (IDeMiS) at the Catholic University of Salta.

At a key meeting held at EPSE, engineer Alejandro Albarellos spoke about the risks of arc flash in high-power environments. The specialist warned of the need to implement engineering studies, train personnel and use appropriate protective equipment in response to rising regional energy consumption.

The National Government confirmed the award of a 329.09-kilometre section of the corridor in Mendoza under a 20-year concession scheme, with four toll stations and projected investment of more than US$300 million.

The conference organized by Gecamin brings together 400 professionals and executives in Santiago to discuss risk management, new technologies and prevention in the mining industry.

The lithium project in Antofagasta de la Sierra concluded the oral stage of the Citizen Participation process. The environmental assessment is entering its final stage, with the DIA expected in September.

Lithium produced from South American brines can have a significant carbon-footprint advantage over material derived from hard-rock spodumene. But turning that difference into a verifiable and commercially valuable attribute remains a challenge.

The UTN plans to launch a Mining Engineering degree program in 2027, while Mendoza accelerates its return to metalliferous mining. Professional training is emerging as another gap left by two decades of limited mining development.

Austral Gold Limited announced the appointment of Mr. Jorge Sanguin as Senior Vice President (SVP) of Operations, effective 1 September 2026.

Abás Tanús Mafud, president of the Catamarca Mining Chamber, discusses the capabilities the province will need to develop as its mining industry expands.

One of the founders of an association created by Kolla Indigenous entrepreneurs to supply Argentina’s mining industry discusses how local businesses in the Puna have gained a foothold in the mining value chain and the challenges they now face as the sector expands.

The companies have entered into definitive agreements to combine Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes, Pastos Grandes and Sal de la Puna into a single development platform.

The Provincial Government received technical teams from the organization to advance road and energy infrastructure projects, while the mining sector is also expanding environmental technical cooperation.

Antofagasta Minerals met with Alfredo Cornejo while Aguas de Origen, controlled by CCU Argentina, maintains a lawsuit against the Province over the Environmental Impact Declaration (DIA) for Paramillos.

The Board of Directors unanimously approved the distribution, which follows the US$13.8 million distributed for the 2024 fiscal year, under a new statute that left Catamarca and the UNT as the company’s only partners.

The funds will be allocated to engineering and early works at the San Juan project. The company is targeting a Final Investment Decision and full project financing by mid-2027, while maintaining 2030 as its target for the start of commercial copper cathode production.

With a multimillion-dollar investment, the Swedish company expanded its facilities in Pocito Department to strengthen support for mining projects in the region and lead the transition toward more sustainable transportation.

The National Senator for Salta, an industrial engineer by training, has extensive experience in public administration across the mining and energy sectors, at both the provincial and national levels.

The initiative seeks to boost competitiveness, innovation and export capacity, with tools designed to integrate Argentine companies into mining value chains.