China-based Ganfeng Lithium, one of the world's biggest lithium miners, has commissioned its Mariana project in northern Argentina with a nameplate capacity of 20 000 metric tons of lithium chloride per year.
The investment in the project, aimed at extracting lithium at the Llullaillaco salt flat, amounted to $790 million in addition to $190 million spent on a solar power plant.
Speaking at the project's inauguration, mining secretary Luis Lucero expressed hope that the Mariana plant can help strengthen local economies.
"The Mariana project not only represents an important source of foreign currency earnings, but also the creation of genuine, quality employment for hundreds of families," Reuters quotes him as saying.
Wang Xiaoshen, president of Ganfeng Lithium, said the company's other Argentina lithium projects are advancing. Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes is scheduled to start construction this year, while the Incahuasi-Arizaro project is in the advanced exploration phase.
Theodor Lisovoy, Managing Editor, Rough&Polished
