The province of La Rioja will participate in the 5th International Lithium Latin America Congress and Exhibition, which will take place on June 26 and 27 in Buenos Aires, where provincial authorities and state companies will provide details of the province’s potential in the matter and report on the projects that are in development.
At the Congress will be government representatives, lithium project owners, presidents and CEOs of lithium companies, regulatory bodies, international and local service and equipment providers, financial institutions, lithium experts and leading associations.
The president of the Sociedad del Estado Energy and Minerals Company (EMSE), Walter Gómez, explained that “the fundamental idea in this meeting is to present La Rioja with all the potential of lithium that it has in those projects that are already in development and those who have investment opportunities in the province”, while indicating that they will expose the potential of lithium in other areas.
Finally, the president of EMSE mentioned the participation of the state company, KALLPA, stating that “they are going to explain the Leoncito project, which is one of the most advanced projects we have and we are going to talk about all lithium in the province.” and the projects that are being developed such as Mascasín, in Chepes and in Alto Sapito in Cordillera.”
The topics of the Congress will deal with the current situation of the world lithium market, growth prospects for the lithium market in Latin America; challenges and opportunities for lithium production and export in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Brazil and other countries; technical innovations regarding the main market needs; new companies and technologies such as equipment, a key point for the development of the industry; lithium projects in Latin America: Status and updates on new and existing lithium in Latin America; and reference will be made to the main projects.
There will also be a round table in which an open dialogue between suppliers and the end customer will be proposed; the client’s opinion and philosophy to plan in the medium and long term; the role of lithium in the energy transition.
Also, this space will be conducive to talking about the regulatory framework for the exploitation of lithium and the production of batteries; research and technological advances as well as the state of the lithium industry in Latin America.
Another issue that will be addressed has to do with sustainable development, emphasizing social responsibility, environmental balance, economic growth and good practices applied by lithium operators to protect the environment and communities.
The vice governor, Teresita Madera, will represent the province; the Minister of Labor, Employment and Industry, Federico Bazán; the vice mayor of Rosario Vera Peñaloza, Daniel Gallardo; the provincial deputy, Cristian Pérez; the presidents of EMSE, Walter Gómez and of Kallpa, Ariel Parmigiani; the Secretary of Public-Private Investments, Gerardo Sánchez Volpini; and the director of Mining Cadastre, Luciana Manghesi Rearte.
Lithium
Lithium demand is predicted to increase 40-fold over the next two decades due to the energy transition towards renewable energy and electric vehicles.
For that reason, global lithium production will need to increase more than 5-fold by 2030 to meet global zero-emissions goals, requiring an investment of more than US$116 billion.
Latin America’s investment in lithium exploration has doubled in the last ten years, going from US$44 million in 2010 to US$91 million in 2021.
With around 54 million tons, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile represent more than 60% of global lithium reserves.
It is estimated that Chile (the largest lithium producer in the region) and Argentina will represent 38% of the world’s supply, once all projects underway are put into operation, which is expected to occur between 2023 and 2024.
Argentina currently has 41 early-stage projects scheduled for completion beyond 2025.
Argentina has the second largest lithium reserves in the world, with 19.3 million tons (more than 20%) of the world’s supply and has the largest number of lithium projects under development worldwide.
