Overview
- The Economy Ministry announced Tuesday that the RIGI Committee approved LIEX S.A.'s Tres Quebradas project with a committed investment of US$709 million to expand the site and build a processing complex.
- The plan funds construction of a plant sized for 40,000 tonnes a year of lithium carbonate plus wells, transport pipelines, purification systems, internal roads, auxiliary facilities and flood control works.
- Government filings presented to the Committee say measured and indicated resources support more than 19 years of production and estimate export revenue near US$400 million per year.
- Authorities say the project will generate about 4,406 direct and indirect jobs across construction and operations, and local officials in Catamarca welcomed the expected boost to supply‑chain activity.
- The RIGI portfolio now counts 21 approved projects with roughly US$46.7 billion in committed investment, and coverage noted that Ámbito reported LIEX operates the deposit as a subsidiary of China's Zijin Mining Group.