The Government announced a new RIGI: it is a mining project to produce lithium carbonate from Catamarca

In practice, this project is the twenty-first that has been approved since the RIGI was launched and in total it foresees a committed investment of 46.7 billion dollars.

The new announcement was made this Tuesday at noon by the head of Economy through his personal social networks. The press conference given at the Casa Rosada by Javier Milei’s spokesperson, Adrián Ravier, was minutes away from concluding, and he did not mention the project when he listed the Government’s news.

“The Evaluation Committee approved the entry into the RIGI of the Dedicated Branch Project of LIEX SA., a new mining initiative aimed at producing lithium carbonate in the Salar Tres Quebradas, in Fiambaláprovince of Catamarca,” Caputo said in his post.

“The project contemplates a total investment of 709 million dollars for the construction and operation of a plant with the capacity to produce 40,000 tons of lithium carbonate per year, in addition to wells for brine extraction, transportation pipelines, purification systems, roads, pipelines, auxiliary industrial facilities, flood control works and other infrastructure necessary for the operation of the complex,” he added.

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The Evaluation Committee approved the entry into the RIGI of the Dedicated Branch Project of LIEX SA, a new mining initiative aimed at producing lithium carbonate in the Salar Tres Quebradas, in Fiambalá, province of Catamarca.

The project contemplates a…

— totocaputo (@LuisCaputoAR) July 14, 2026

Furthermore, the Minister of Economy detailed that this new RIGI “will generate 4,406 direct and indirect jobsbetween the construction and operation stages”.

On the other hand, Caputo maintained that the studies presented indicate that “there are sufficient resources to sustain more than 19 years of effective production and that its export will generate income estimated at around USD 400 million per year”.

The advertisement was celebrated by President Javier Mileiwho shared his minister’s message and used two of his favorite acronyms: TMAP and MAGA, in reference to the phrases “Everything is going according to plan” and “Make Argentina great again.”

By being admitted to the Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI), projects have access to various tax benefits, exemption from the payment of export duties and exclusion of the obligation to bring income from their exports to Argentina, as well as stability for 30 years and access to international arbitration in case of disputes.