Argentina aims to increase its lithium production capacity by more than 250pc in the next 10 years after it has more than doubled in the last two years, mining secretary Luis Lucero said.
Lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) output capacity in Argentina has grown by 146pc to 186,000 metric tonnes (t)/yr this year from 75,500 t/yr in 2023, Lucero said at the Lithium in South America conference last week in Catamarca, Argentina.
Argentina's capacity in 2015 stood at 35,000t/yr on the back of only two projects.
Argentina expects that figure to grow to 418,000t/yr by 2030, reaching 658,000t/yr by 2035, a potential 253pc increase compared to 2025, Lucero said.
There are currently seven active lithium projects in Argentina, the most in South America: two operated by Rio Tinto and one each by Posco, Ganfeng Lithium, Lithium Argentina and Ganfeng joint venture Minera Exar, Zijin Mining, and French Eramet and Chinese Tsingshan's joint venture Eramine Sudamerica.
The Argentinian mining ministry took 15 projects into consideration to compile the figures, including all seven that are in operation — and its planned expansions — and eight that are in advanced stages of development. Projects being developed in Argentina include Galan Lithium's Hombre Muerto West project, Lithium Argentina's and Ganfeng's Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes, Posco's new lithium carbonate operation and Rio Tinto's Rincon and Sal de Vida projects.
