Rio Tinto’s latest acquisition* is a large, undeveloped lithium brine project located in the heart of the lithium triangle in the Salta Province of Argentina. A long life, scaleable resource capable of producing battery grade lithium carbonate, which will have one of the lowest carbon footprints in the industry. Expanding our lithium production supports our goal of supplying the metals and minerals essential to the transition to a low-carbon economy.
The demonstration plant on-site has successfully proven the economic validity and scalability of the extraction process, with a low-cost process technology, which takes just 24 hours to extract lithium.
Now that acquisition is complete, we are:
- Conducting studies
- Developing our strategy and timing
- Securing updates to existing environmental impact assessment permits
We will be engaging with local communities, the Province of Salta, and the Government of Argentina to ensure the project is developed to the highest ESG standards.
*In December 2021, Rio Tinto entered into a binding agreement to acquire this asset from Rincon Mining. Acquisition was completed in March 2022.