Argentina approves $709 million lithium expansion project

Argentina’s Committee for the Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI) has approved an application from Liex to develop the second phase of the Tres Quebradas lithium project in Catamarca province.

The project involves a $709 million investment and will add a processing plant with capacity to produce 40,000 MT of lithium carbonate annually.

The expansion includes a processing plant, brine extraction wells, pipelines, purification systems, roads, auxiliary industrial facilities, and flood control infrastructure. The company said the resource base can support more than 19 years of production.

Liex, the Argentine subsidiary of China’s Zijin Mining, acquired the Tres Quebradas project through Zijin’s purchase of Canada’s Neo Lithium. The lithium brine project is located in southwestern Catamarca near the Chilean border.

The first phase of the project began production in September 2025 with capacity of 20,000 MT per year. Zijin plans to increase that to 30,000 MT through technical upgrades, while the second phase will add another 40,000 MT, bringing total planned capacity to between 60,000 MT and 80,000 MT annually.

Argentina’s Economy Ministry estimates the expansion could generate about 4,400 direct and indirect jobs and around $400 million in annual exports once fully operational.

The committee’s approval is the final step before formal inclusion in the RIGI program, which offers tax, customs, foreign exchange, and long-term regulatory incentives for large investment projects. Once formally approved, Tres Quebradas will become the 21st project admitted under the scheme, representing total committed investments of $46.7 billion.

From pv magazine LatAm