Lithium and copper to drive growth as foreign investors expand battery-grade operations.
Argentina plans to export $30 billion per year in critical minerals within the next five to seven years. Vice Minister of Energy and Mining Daniel Gonzalez shared the projection at the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston, Texas.
He said the target would come from copper and lithium exports, with foreign investment in lithium coming from China, France, the UK, and the United States.
Global Players Back Argentina’s Lithium Sector
Argentina currently operates six active lithium projects. Ganfeng Lithium (China), Eramet (France), Rio Tinto (UK-Australia), and Arcadium (U.S.) hold key stakes, and Rio Tinto recently acquired Arcadium.
“There are no restrictions in terms of foreign ownership,” Gonzalez emphasized, highlighting Argentina’s openness to international investors.
Most lithium producers in Argentina extract resources from brine and convert them on-site into battery-grade lithium salts. Gonzalez noted that each company manages its own processing, but Argentina does not build or operate any battery manufacturing facilities.
No Plans for Battery Manufacturing
“All projects go to battery grade up to the end,” Gonzalez said. “What we don’t have is battery manufacturing. I don’t think we will have, unfortunately.”
Even without downstream manufacturing, Argentina remains a major upstream player in the global lithium supply chain, especially for electric vehicle and energy storage sectors.
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