From pv magazine LatAm
Mining group Pohang Iron and Steel Company (POSCO) Argentina has inaugurated the country's first commercial lithium hydroxide production plant at the General Güemes Industrial Park in the province of Salta.
Part of POSCO Argentina's Sal de Oro integral lithium project, the production plant involves an investment “that exceeds $800 million in this phase,” said Salta Province Governor Gustavo Sáenz, who attended the inauguration. The project will also generate more than 3,800 jobs, including over 300 direct positions, and involve “the integration of more than 60 local suppliers, strengthening its commitment to the community and the economic development of the region,” Sáenz added.
The facility is estimated to produce 25,000 tons of lithium hydroxide per year. The mineral will be supplied from the Salar del Hombre Muerto mines acquired by POSCO Argentina in 2018. The development of the project began with the start of exploration activities in 2019, followed by the construction of the demonstration plant in 2020. In 2022 construction of the Commercial Plant 1 (CP1) was divided into two parts, the upstream plant in the La Puna region and the downstream plant in General Güemes, the latter now inaugurated. Construction of Commercial Plant 2 (CP2) began in La Puna in 2023.
In this latter region there are 13 of the 15 largest salt flats in the world (approximately 50,000 km²); three of which are located within the province of Salta: one entirely in the territory (Arizaro); a second (the aforementioned Salar del Hombre Muerto), shared with the province of Catamarca, and a third (Salinas Grandes), with the province of Jujuy.
The president of POSCO Argentina, Kwangbok Kim, assured that next year the company would reach a production capacity of 50,000 tons of lithium hydroxide per year, and will evaluate the investment of a new project according to the application of the Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI) and the global situation of lithium.
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