French multinational mining company Eramet’s lithium project in the Andean Cordillera of Salta, north-west Argentina, is entering its final preparation phase, with an investment decision less than six months away.
The company is completing the technical and economic feasibility study to specify the required investment for a mine, which will produce 24 000 t/y of lithium carbonate equivalent.
Currently, that investment is estimated at about €500-million, Eramet reported on Wednesday, adding that an investment decision would be announced before the middle of next year, to enable production to start by the end of 2021.
The Argentina lithium project is central to Eramet’s strategy of investing in metals that will facilitate “tomorrow’s energy transition and mobility”, including lithium and nickel.
In addition to the nine-million-tonne Centenario-Ratones deposit, which is discovered in 2012, Eramet also has other lithium developments in Chile and Europe.
To boost its lithium division, the group appointed Hervé Montégu its senior vice president of lithium, with effect from January 1. He has been the CEO of Eramet’s Gabonese subsidiary since November 2015.