On October 1, 2026, a French mining group confirmed its intention to enroll the Centenario-Ratones lithium asset in Argentina’s Large Investment Incentive Scheme (RIGI). The announcement followed executive discussions between the company’s president, Crystal Boris, and Argentine President Javier Milei during a Paris-based “Argentina Week” event.
The proposed brownfield upgrade would raise the facility’s nominal output from 24,000 tonnes per annum of lithium carbonate equivalent to 35,000 tpa, adding 11,000 tpa of production. Capital expenditure for the phase is estimated at approximately $350 million, though a final investment decision remains pending. Management highlighted the site’s substantial underlying geology, citing over 15 million tonnes of recoverable mineral resources.
Securing RIGI status would provide critical fiscal certainty for the developer as global battery metal supply chains face intensifying scrutiny over domestic processing capabilities. The planned throughput increase positions the asset to better align with accelerating demand for refined lithium compounds, while the pending capital commitment underscores the sector’s cautious approach to scaling operations amid fluctuating commodity pricing.