en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Tres Quebradas (3Q) lithium project, developed by Zijin Mining through its subsidiary Liex, has been officially included in Argentina's Large Investment Incentive Scheme (RIGI), with an investment of $709 million, located in Fiambalá, Catamarca Province.

Argentina's Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, confirmed the news on his social media platform X, describing it as "a new mining plan aimed at producing lithium carbonate in the Tres Quebradas salt flats."

The plan includes the construction and operation of a processing plant, wells for brine extraction, pipelines, purification systems, roads, pipelines, auxiliary industrial facilities, and flood control works. According to a study submitted by the company, available resources can support effective production for over 19 years. The company estimates that the construction and operation phases of the project will create 4,406 direct and indirect jobs. Based on estimates released by the Ministry of Economy, once expected production capacity is reached, annual exports could contribute approximately $400 million.

The first phase of the complex began production in September 2025, with an initial annual capacity of 20,000 tons of lithium carbonate. Zijin Mining stated that it plans to increase capacity to 30,000 tons through technological improvements, while the second phase is designed for an annual capacity of 40,000 tons. When both phases are fully operational, the company expects total annual capacity to reach 60,000 to 80,000 tons.

The inclusion of Tres Quebradas further expands the scope of RIGI, which now brings together 21 projects approved by the evaluation committee. These projects collectively commit investments totaling $46.7 billion, primarily in strategic sectors such as mining, energy, and infrastructure. In the mining sector, Tres Quebradas becomes the twelfth project to join the scheme and the fifth in Catamarca Province, alongside Hombre Muerto Oeste (HMW), Fénix, Sal de Oro, and Diablillos, the latter shared with Salta Province. Liex is the Argentine subsidiary of Zijin Mining, which acquired the Tres Quebradas project through its purchase of Canada's Neo Lithium.