Argentina Lithium: Rio Tinto Inaugurates Fénix Expansion and Sal de Vida in Catamarca, Combined Investment of About $1.4 Billion
Rio Tinto formally inaugurated the Fénix 1B expansion and the Sal de Vida lithium project in Argentina's Catamarca Province on October 28, a combined investment of about $1.4 billion. President Javier Milei and Catamarca Governor Raúl Jalil attended the ceremony, hosted by Rio Tinto Chief Executive Simon Trott. At full capacity, the two projects will add about 25,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year.
Both projects achieved first production ahead of schedule in the second quarter of this year and are now ramping up. The Fénix 1B expansion adds 10,000 tonnes a year, lifting Fénix's total target capacity to about 40,000 tonnes; Fénix, on the Salar del Hombre Muerto, has operated since 1997 and was Argentina's first commercial lithium operation. Sal de Vida is a new lithium carbonate project about 20 kilometres northeast of Fénix, targeting 15,000 tonnes a year.
Milei called the Fénix expansion a historic milestone that proves Argentina's mining potential. Rio Tinto's Argentine footprint spans the northern provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy and Salta, including the Rincon project, and the company aims to reach 200,000 tonnes of LCE a year globally by 2028.
Rio Tinto said about 70 percent of the roughly $4 billion in growth capital for its Argentine lithium business is expected to be spent with local suppliers.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 阿根廷卡塔马卡省翁布雷穆埃尔托盐湖卫星图，力拓Fénix与Sal de Vida锂项目位于该盐湖。Satellite view of the Salar del Hombre Muerto in Argentina's Catamarca Province, home to Rio Tinto's Fénix and Sal de Vida lithium projects. 公共领域，NASA，经Wikimedia Commons / Public domain, NASA, via Wikimedia Commons.
