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.