7projects in production
23,000 tof lithium produced in 2025 (18,000 in 2024), according to USGS
US$ 905 Mlithium exports in 2025, a record
Projects in production
| Project | Provincia | Company | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fénix (Salar del Hombre Muerto) | Catamarca | Rio Tinto | 1997-1998 |
| Olaroz | Jujuy | Rio Tinto (with JEMSE) | 2014-2015 |
| Cauchari-Olaroz | Jujuy | Minera Exar (Lithium Argentina and Ganfeng) | 2023 |
| Centenario-Ratones | Salta | Eramet | 2024 |
| Sal de Oro | Salta / Catamarca | Posco | 2024 |
| Mariana | Salta | Ganfeng | 2025 |
| 3Q | Catamarca | Zijin | 2025 |
Rio Tinto kept Fénix and Olaroz when it bought Arcadium Lithium in 2025. Several projects are still in "ramp-up" (increasing their production).
How it is produced
- Most pump brine from beneath the salt flats and concentrate it by solar evaporation in ponds over several months; then a chemical plant turns it into lithium carbonate.
- New direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies, like the one at Centenario-Ratones, shorten timelines and use less pond area.
- In May of 2026, 11,562 tons of lithium carbonate were produced (+45% year over year) and in June, 10,378 tons were exported for US$ 179 million.
What comes next
Under RIGI, Rincón (Rio Tinto, Salta), the expansion of Cauchari-Olaroz, Hombre Muerto Oeste and the Fénix expansion were approved. The Mining Secretariat projects lithium exports of about US$ 4,500 million in 2030 and US$ 11,500 million in 2035.
What it means for a supplier
- Lithium projects are chemical plants in the Puna, at more than 3,500 meters: ponds, pumps, HDPE pipe, process plants, tanks, power generation and camps.
- They demand piping, tanks, pumps, instrumentation, civil works and erection: many categories in common with oil.
Fuentes
Updated as of October 9, 2026. Anything to correct or add? Write to us.