Eramet Expects to Start Lithium Production at Argentine Centenario Project in November

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Written by Amir Richani for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--On July 3, Eramet (Paris, France) inaugurated its Centenario Phase 1 lithium extraction plant in Salta, Argentina. The plant is designed to produce 24,000 tons per year of battery-grade lithium carbonate at full capacity, and it is expected to start operations by November.

The project will implement a direct lithium extraction (DLE) process to produce enough lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) for the requirements of 600,000 electric cars per year. The investment for Centenario Phase 1 is projected at US$870 million, with an estimated cash cost per ton of LCE between US$4,500 and US$5,000. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for a detailed project report.

The Centenario project also contemplates a second plant for an additional production of 30,000 tons of LCE per year, which was approved by Eramet's board in November 2023. The company still has to obtain construction permits and implement a new fiscal investment regime for large projects. Subscribers can click here for the project report.

The project is owned by Eramet with 50.1% of the shares, followed by Tsingshan Holding Group (Wenzhou, China) with the remaining 49.9%.

"With the start of our first Centenario plant, Eramet will become a key global player in the sustainable production of lithium, a critical metal for the batteries of electric vehicles. This inauguration confirms our technological and sustainable leadership across the entire lithium value chain, from exploration to extraction and processing," said Christel Bories, Eramet's group chair and chief executive.

Currently, Argentina has three lithium mining projects in the production phase, five under construction, 31 in advanced stages, and 10 at initial stages, with 27 of the projects in the Salta province. The three projects in production are Fenix, Olaroz and Cauchari Olaroz, which together produced about 44,000 tons of LCE last year, based on a report by Argentina's Ministry of Economy.

By 2028, Argentina expects its output to increase to more than 200,000 tons of LCE per year.

Subscribers can click here for a list of all project reports mentioned in this article and click here for the related plant profile.

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