Eramet says it has delivered first lithium carbonate production at its newly commissioned Centenario plant, in Salta Province, Argentina.
The Centenario plant is the first facility to implement at an industrial scale Eramet’s advanced Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology. This technology delivers sustainable and highly-efficient lithium carbonate suitable for electric vehicle battery applications, Eramet says. Centenario first plant is designed to extract and produce 24,000 t/y of battery-grade lithium carbonate, and at full capacity should be positioned in the first quartile of the lithium industry cost-curve. First lithium carbonate production has been achieved less than three years after Eramet started the construction of the plant.
Total drainable mineral resources of the Centenario-Ratones salar amount to more than 15 Mt of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE), with an average concentration of 407 mg/L of lithium contained in the brine, the company says. This resource is large enough to support long-term growth optionality for production capacity to above 75,000 t/y of LCE.
On October 24, Eramet announced it had regained full ownership of its flagship lithium business in Argentina, buying-out the 49.9% share of its partner in their joint-venture Eramine which fully owns the Centenario plant.
Christel Bories, Chair and CEO of Eramet group, says: “The start of our lithium production at Centenario in Argentina represents a key milestone for the diversification of the group into metals for the energy transition, which will place Eramet as the first European company to produce lithium carbonate at an industrial scale. I would like to thank and congratulate our teams for their strong commitment and their determination in delivering this DLE project within an impressive timeframe compared to similar projects in the region, despite the technical, logistical and meteorological challenges associated with its location at 4,000 m of altitude in the remote Andean Highlands. In 2025, we will ramp up production at the plant, aiming at becoming a key global player in the sustainable production of lithium.”