Ganfeng and Zijin Mining expect additional lithium production from new projects in Argentina this year

Published: Apr 11, 2024 17:32 (GMT+8)

Source: SMM

Save

As disclosed recently in its 2023 Annual Report, Ganfeng Lithium said its Argentine Mariana lithium project would produce the first batch of products at the end of this year.

Mariana is a lithium-potassium salt lake located in the Salar de Llullaillaco in Salta Province, and is run by Ganfeng’s 100% owned subsidiary Litio Minera Argentina, carrying an investment of around US$600 million to produce 20,000 tonnes of lithium chloride or around 17,300 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year. According to Ganfeng, the total lithium resources (including measured, inferred and indicated) of Mariana lithium project reach around 8.12 million tonnes of LCE.

Further, Ganfeng has planned to have the Mariana project exclusively powered by an off-grid solar farm, with an installed capacity at 120 megawatt (MW) from solar panels and 288 megawatt-peak (MWp) of battery storage, exclusively manufactured by Ganfeng.

Mariana’s feasibility study was completed in 2019, the province of Salta approved the Environmental Impact Study in June 2021. The construction of the project started in June 2022, and the infusion of brine into the salt fields started at the end of 2022. Now Ganfeng is progressing towards finishing the construction of the salt fields, wells, chemical plants, and photovoltaics.

A similar project, Zijin Mining’s Tres Quebradas (3Q) lithium production in Catamarca with 8.54 million tonnes of LCE resources, is targeting the first production in Q3 2024. According to Zijin’s 2023 annual report, the company has finished the Phase 1 construction that enables 20,000 tonnes of LCE production capacity, and has progressed towards Phase 2. Once fully developed, the project has the capacity of producing 40,000 to 60,000 tonnes of LCE per year.

Though considering the scale and the construction timeline, Mariana may not contribute significantly to Ganfeng’s financials in the near term, but the company has another four projects (the PPG project, Cauchari-Olaroz, Incahuasi, and SDLP) in Argentina, totaling the relevant capital expenditures to US$20 billion, which is expected to deliver momentum in the future.

Author: Hongqiu Su | Battery Metals Analyst Associate | London Office, Shanghai Metals Market
Email: lilysu@smm.cn

Market review

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

9 hours ago

Japan’s GSA Opens Battery Direct Regeneration Lab in Switzerland

【Japan’s GSA Opens Battery Direct Regeneration Laboratory in Switzerland】Japanese green technology company Green Science Alliance and the Swiss Battery Technology Center have opened a battery direct regeneration laboratory at the Swiss Innovation Park in Biel/Bienne, Canton of Bern. The technology directly regenerates cathode active materials from mechanically processed black mass without acid-base leaching for individual metal extraction, covering both NMC and LFP chemistries. Published laboratory results indicate that batteries made with regenerated cathode materials achieve over 90% of the initial capacity of equivalent commercial-material batteries. Under the collaboration, Green Science Alliance provides the technology while the Swiss Battery Technology Center contributes research capability, infrastructure, and laboratory facilities; the two parties jointly conduct materials assessment, electrode and cell manufacturing, performance testing, and industrialization and scalability evaluation. The first phase of the collaboration is supported by an Innosuisse Innovation Cheque.

9 hours ago

Honor WIN2 Series Officially Launches, Starting from CNY 3,149 After Subsidy

【Honor WIN2 Series Officially Launches】Honor officially launched the WIN2 series on October 21, with the Honor WIN2 and Honor WIN RT2 going on sale simultaneously, starting at CNY 3,149 after government subsidy. According to Honor’s official product page, the WIN2 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 processor and features a 10,100mAh battery.

9 hours ago

Apple Imposes Global Purchase Limit on iPhone Duo Foldable, First Batch Sells Out Quickly

【Apple Imposes Global Two-Unit Purchase Limit on iPhone Duo】Apple has limited purchases of its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, to two units per customer globally, confirmed by Apple customer service as a worldwide policy. Pre-orders opened on October 16 at 20:00 on Apple’s official website, the Apple Store app, and Apple’s official Tmall flagship store, with the device officially on sale from October 23. China pricing starts at CNY 15,999 for the 256GB model, CNY 17,999 for 512GB, CNY 21,499 for 1TB, and CNY 26,499 for 2TB, in Starlight White and Midnight Black. The first batch sold out shortly after pre-orders opened, with some online orders pushed to late January 2027. Per Apple’s October 15 press release, the device features an A20 Pro chip and dual-battery architecture, with an inner display 50% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, a 5.4-inch outer display, the thinnest form factor in Apple’s history when unfolded, a 48MP main camera, optical-quality 2x telephoto, 48MP ultrawide, IP68 protection, and iOS 27 pre-installed.

9 hours ago