Argentina tripled its lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) production capacity in the last two years, driven by new projects that have boosted installed capacity to 136 500 t nationwide, the country’s Chamber of Mining Entrepreneurs (CAEM) reported on Tuesday.
Argentina, the world’s No. 4 lithium producer, has four projects in production, including the Centenario Ratones plant in the northern province of Salta, a joint venture between France’s Eramet and Chinese steelmaker Tsingshan.
The plant, inaugurated earlier this month, aims to produce 24 000 t/y of LCE by 2025, helping to narrow the gap with Chile, Latin America’s top producer of the ultra-light metal essential for making electric vehicle batteries.
“The recent inauguration of Centenario Ratones, the fourth lithium production plant in our country and the first in Salta, adds to a series of new projects and expansions that tripled installed capacity in just two years,” CAEM said in a statement.
Production potential in Argentina went from 37 500 t of LCE in 2022 to 136 500 t, according to the chamber.
Argentina sits inside South America’s so-called “lithium triangle” with Chile and Bolivia and is looking to increase output with a slate of new projects set to come online later this year.