[SMM Analysis] Argentina Lithium & Energy Corp.: Cauchari-Olaroz Lithium Mine Project Is Expected to Triple Production by 2029

Recently, Ignacio Celorrio, Executive Vice President of Lithium Argentina, stated that the company's Cauchari-Olaroz lithium mine project in northern Argentina is expected to achieve an annual production of 85,000 mt of battery-grade metal by around 2029, a figure that would be more than triple last year's output.

Argentina is the world's fourth-largest exporter of lithium for EV batteries, and the Cauchari-Olaroz project is one of the six lithium mine projects currently operating in the country. Located in the so-called "Lithium Triangle" region spanning Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, the project is jointly developed by Lithium Argentina, which is listed in Canada and the US, and China's Ganfeng Lithium.

Celorrio revealed during a lithium industry conference held in Buenos Aires on Tuesday that the project's production in 2024 was approximately 25,000 mt, and is projected to reach between 30,000 mt and 35,000 mt in 2025.

Under the offtake agreements signed with Ganfeng Lithium and Thailand's Bangchak (which provided project financing), currently 80% of the project's output is exported to China, with the remainder sold to Thailand.

In August this year, Lithium Argentina and Ganfeng Lithium announced the establishment of a new joint venture named "Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes," aiming to integrate three lithium mine projects located in Salta Province—Pastos Grandes, Sal de la Puna, and Pozuelos. After integration, the annual lithium production from these three projects is expected to reach 150,000 mt. Lithium Argentina is currently conducting a feasibility study, with construction anticipated to commence in 2026.