French, Chinese firms restart lithium project in Argentina

French mining group Eramet said Monday it was reviving a joint project with China's Tsingshan to build a lithium production plant in the north of Argentina to supply the booming electric car industry.

Construction will begin next year on a deposit in the northwestern province of Salta, with the facility set to open in 2024, said Emaret chief executive Christel Bories.

The plant - slated to produce 24,000 tonnes of lithium annually - is expected to meet 15% of Europe's lithium needs, Bories told reporters in a conference call, confirming that building would get underway in the first quarter of 2022.

At: https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/economy/french-chinese-firms-restart-lithium-project-in-argentina.phtml

Argentine President Alberto Fernández welcomes Eramine South America CEO Daniel Chávez Díaz at the Casa Rosada earlier today.

Eramine - the local subsidiary of French mining giant Eramet - announced a $400 million investment to produce an estimated 24,000 tons of lithium carbonate by 2024.

At 33,000 tons, Argentina is the world's fourth-largest producer of Lithium after Australia, Chile, and China.

The country produces 7.5% of the world's lithium - but has nearly 25% of global lithium resources.