MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina has a medium term lithium export annual target of 400,000 tons

“Argentina is already part of the lithium development wave. Last year, minerals worth US$ 3.8 billion were exported,” pointed out Mining minister Fernanda Avila

Lithium exports from Argentina are poised to increase in the coming years, specifically from 34,000 tons to 400,000 tons of lithium carbonate, as mentioned by the Mining Secretary, Fernanda Ávila in Buenos Aires.

“We have three (lithium) projects in operational phase and six under construction,” Ávila stated at the energy forum organized by the United States Chamber of Commerce in Argentina (Amcham).

Furthermore, the official participated in the panel “Strategic Minerals: Potential and Challenges in Promoting the Local Value Chain,” alongside Salta’s Secretary of Energy and Mining, Romina Sassarini, and Jujuy’s Minister of Economic Development and Production, Juan Carlos Abud Robles, the two provinces which concentrate much of the 'white gold' deposits.

“Argentina is already part of the mining development wave, strongly driven by lithium. Last year, minerals worth 3.8 billion dollars were exported, which was the best outcome since 2012,” emphasized Fernanda Ávila.

However, the Mining Secretary highlighted that “there are still challenges to be addressed,” but also noted that “over the past three years, the highest level of investor attention has been recorded, with potential projects surpassing 17 billion dollars.”

On the other hand, Romina Sassarini declared that mining investments have generated “28 months of continuous employment growth” in her province of Salta.

Meanwhile, Juan Carlos Abud explained that Jujuy is experiencing the peak of the lithium boom.

However despite such optimism, Argentina is still distant from the volume numbers exported by neighboring Chile, and in the last three months, three countries are preparing to join the select grouping, Australia, Iran and India, where considerable deposits of lithium have been discovered.