Argentina's Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI) has approved a project submitted by LIEX S.A. to expand the Tres Quebradas (3Q) lithium operation in Catamarca Province. The initiative involves a US$709 million investment to increase production capacity and develop new infrastructure at the site.
By Panorama Minero
The approval was announced by Argentina's Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, who said the project includes the construction and operation of a plant capable of producing 40,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate.
The investment also covers the development of brine production wells, transport pipelines, purification systems, internal roads, piping networks, auxiliary industrial facilities, flood-control works and other infrastructure required to support the expanded operation.
According to the Ministry of Economy, the project is expected to generate 4,406 direct and indirect jobs during the construction and operational phases.
Documentation submitted to the Evaluation Committee indicates that the project has sufficient resources to sustain more than 19 years of production, while exports are projected to generate approximately US$400 million per year.
Tres Quebradas is one of Catamarca's producing lithium operations. Through the RIGI approval, LIEX, a Chinese-owned company, plans to expand the project's production capacity and associated infrastructure through the planned US$709 million investment.
RIGI Reaches 21 Approved Projects
With the approval of LIEX's proposal, Argentina's Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI) now includes 21 approved projects.
According to Minister Caputo, the approved initiatives represent US$46.7 billion in committed investment across multiple sectors of the Argentine economy.
In Catamarca, LIEX joins Fénix (Rio Tinto), Hombre Muerto Oeste (Galan Lithium), Sal de Oro (POSCO) and Diablillos—the latter spanning both Catamarca and Salta provinces—as mining projects approved under the RIGI framework.
