Lithium exports: "We will go from 34,000 to 400,000 tons in the coming years"

The Mining Secretary, Fernanda Ávila, affirmed that Argentina will go from the current exports of 34,000 tons of lithium carbonate to 400,000 tons in the coming years.

"We have three (lithium) projects in the operational stage and six under construction, with which we are going to go from 34,000 tons of exports to 400,000 tons in the coming years," Avila said at the energy forum organized by the Chamber of Commerce of United States in Argentina (Amcham).

The official shared the panel Strategic Minerals: potential and challenges in promoting the local value chain, together with the Secretary of Energy and Mining of Salta, Romina Sassarini, and the Minister of Economic Development and Production of Jujuy, Juan Carlos Abud Robles .

"Argentina is already part of the mining development train, strongly driven by lithium. Last year US$ 3.8 billion in mining was exported in what was the best result since 2012," Ávila remarked.

The official admitted that "there are still difficulties to be resolved", while stressing that "in the last three years the highest level of attention from investors has been registered, with projects that exceed US$ 17,000 million".

For his part, Sassarini recalled that mining investments generated "28 months of uninterrupted job growth" in Salta, while emphasizing the importance of moving forward with all projects within a framework of "development with social license."

For his part, the Jujuy official explained that this province is experiencing the "lithium boom", with the presence of "suppliers of all colors and training for communities".