French mining and metallurgy company Eramet has begun studies to support an expansion of its Centenario-Ratones lithium project in Argentina's Salta province.
Eramet plans to add 11,000 metric tonnes (t)/yr of lithium carbonate equivalent to Centenario, bringing total capacity to 35,000t/yr. The project, which recently reached 90pc of its original designed capacity of 24,000t/yr, is ran by a subsidiary of the company called Eramine Sudamérica.
The French company plans to invest $350mn in the expansion, which will be the first of a series of capacity additions to Centenario. Eramet plans for the project to yield 150,000t/yr when all expansions are concluded over several years.
Eramet also plans to file a Rigi application to support the project, a government program that provides investment incentives, global chief executive Christel Bories told Salta's provincial government, which announced the news.
Rigi grants benefits to approved participants, including exemptions from value-added and import–export taxes, as well as legal protections that allow companies to settle disputes in courts outside Argentina. It also guarantees 30 years of legal stability, ensuring that the benefits cannot be revoked by any future president during that period.
There is no public timeline for the expansions or the Rigi application.
