In October of last year, Agenda Malvinas reported on the acquisition of Arcadium Lithium by the Anglo-Australian mining company Rio Tinto. With this transaction, the company acquired two of the largest lithium projects in the country: Olaroz in Jujuy and Fénix in Catamarca.
At the end of January, we also reported on a $2.5 billion investment by Rio Tinto to expand lithium carbonate production at its Rincón de Salta project . In a statement sent to Energy Report , the Anglo-Australian company indicated that this decision will be submitted to the Major Investment Incentive Scheme (RIGI) and is aimed at "the company's commitment to establishing a world-class battery materials portfolio."
Now, Governor Raúl Jalil , one of the provincial leaders closest to Javier Milei 's government, held a meeting with Rio Tinto Lithium CEO Paul Graves and Rio Tinto's Director of External Affairs for Latin America, Paula Uribe . Also participating in the meeting was Argentina's Consul General in New York, Gerardo Diaz Bartolomé .
The Peronist governor's first meeting with the company's executives was in 2023, in London.
As understood, the meeting was held in New York and as reported by Minería&Desarrollo on its website , "the status of the company's investments in the province was reviewed, particularly those related to the second stage of the investment plan and the status of the presentation of the Sal de Vida project that Rio Tinto Lithium carried out this week in application of the RIGI, with an investment of USD 638 million, reaffirming its commitment to Argentina as a strategic destination and consolidating Catamarca as a global benchmark in lithium."
It also served to describe the paving process being carried out on Provincial Route No. 43, Villa de Antofagasta de la Sierra-Límite con Salta section , with contributions from mining companies in addition to royalties.
As reported by catamarcatv.com , the companies responsible for laying the foundation and preparing the ground began paving the first 5 kilometers in the first half of April. Other sections are undergoing earthworks and embankment construction .
As we can see, under Milei 's government, there's always money for infrastructure projects with the goal of fattening the imperialist monopolies.
Thus, with the acquisition of Arcadium Lithium, the Anglo-Australian monopoly created Rio Tinto Lithium . The goal is to increase the capacity of its Tier 1 assets to more than 200,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) by 2028. Arcadium operated Salar Del Hombre Muerto, Olaroz, Sal de Vida and Cauchari, which became part of Rio Tinto Lithium along with the Rincón project.
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