France's Eramet Plans to Invest an Additional US$350 Million to Expand Lithium Project in Argentina
en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 1, French mining group Eramet confirmed plans to carry out the first brownfield expansion of the Centenario-Ratones lithium project in Salta Province, Argentina, with an expected additional investment of approximately US$350 million, increasing the existing annual capacity of 24,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) by 11,000 tonnes to 35,000 tonnes. The project's pre-feasibility study has been completed, and detailed engineering design is currently underway. The investment still requires a final investment decision (FID), which the company expects could be made as early as the end of 2027.
The expansion plan will be implemented on the basis of the existing Centenario-Ratones production facilities, continuing to utilize the current site's infrastructure and remaining engineering capacity. Eramet plans to apply for this round of investment to be included under Argentina's "Large Investment Incentive Regime" (RIGI), which includes tax, tariff, and foreign exchange arrangements and provides a 30-year regulatory stability period. Part of the expansion investment is planned to be funded by cash flow generated by the existing production facilities.
The existing Phase 1 of Centenario-Ratones uses direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology developed by Eramet, with a nominal capacity of 24,000 tonnes LCE per year. The facility entered the capacity ramp-up phase in mid-2025 and reached 90% of nominal capacity in June 2026. The company plans to raise the operating level to near full capacity by the end of 2026. The cumulative investment in the existing Phase 1 is approximately US$950 million.
The project is located at the Centenario-Ratones salt flat in Salta Province, Argentina, with recoverable mineral resources announced by Eramet exceeding 15 million tonnes LCE. The company began its lithium business in Argentina in 2011 and discovered the salt flat resource in 2012; this 11,000-tonne expansion is the first additional capacity phase of the existing production base.
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