en.Wedoany.com Reported - The "Don Luis y Otro" lithium exploration project in Argentina's Mendoza province has obtained an Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) approval resolution in the Senate. The project aims to explore brines in the Salinas del Diamante area between San Rafael and Malargüe, representing one of the first concrete attempts to incorporate Mendoza into Argentina's lithium landscape, despite its location outside the traditional Northwest Argentina (NOA) basin.
Covering an area of 234,256.5 hectares, the project is located in an endorheic basin containing evaporite deposits. The exploration objective is to identify lithium concentrations in underground brines through geophysical studies and future deep drilling operations. A favorable ruling was issued after reviewing the project's technical and environmental documents during a joint meeting of the Senate Committees on Environment, Hydrocarbons, and Legislative and Constitutional Affairs. With this approval, the initiative is now eligible to proceed to a full Senate vote, which will determine whether Mendoza formally authorizes the start of exploration activities for the lithium project.
This legislative step represents a milestone for the local mining sector, as the project seeks to develop brine exploration outside the traditional NOA basin under the regulatory framework established by Law No. 7,722. The project is promoted by Ampere Lithium and El Jarillar S.A., which, through the acquisition of additional mining rights, expanded the project's influence to Malargüe in 2025, consolidating one of the largest lithium exploration land portfolios in Mendoza.
The project's technical strategy plans an initial exploration phase based on magnetotelluric sounding, a geophysical method used to measure subsurface resistivity and identify potential deep brine reservoirs. This approach will help define exploration targets before entering the drilling phase, which, according to the technical plan, could reach depths of 90 to 600 meters depending on results obtained from the initial geophysical stage. The project is located in the Salinas del Diamante area, an evaporitic system whose exploration hypothesis is based on the presence of lithium-bearing brines. Unlike traditional metal-bearing projects in Mendoza, the geological model associated with "Don Luis y Otro" is similar to the exploration style predominant in much of northwestern Argentina. As part of the company's technical approach, future phases may also employ Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology, a treatment method designed to recover lithium from brines while reducing the need for large evaporation ponds, thereby shrinking the project's physical footprint and improving lithium recovery times.
The legislative progress also marks the formal entry of "Mendoza lithium" into the institutional framework established by Law No. 7,722. The environmental declaration has been approved by the Mining Authority and the Environmental Management and Supervision Agency but still requires legislative approval to become fully effective. Before being submitted to the Senate, the project completed a technical, environmental, and institutional evaluation process involving provincial, municipal, and national agencies, as well as technical field visits and two public hearings in San Rafael and Malargüe. Environmental conditions imposed on the project include continuous updates to the environmental baseline, monitoring of water, air, soil, flora, and fauna, submission of emergency plans, specific industry permits, environmental insurance, regular inspections, and the preparation of indigenous social baseline studies. The framework approved by the Mining Environmental Authority also provides for unannounced inspections, periodic reporting requirements, penalties for non-compliance, and mandatory biennial environmental updates.
Following the committee's favorable ruling, "Don Luis y Otro" is now closer to becoming Mendoza's first lithium exploration project to fully complete the political and environmental approval process under Law No. 7,722. The province of Mendoza is seeking to expand its mining portfolio beyond copper, gold, and potassium salts.
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