During the event, we delve deeper into Argentina’s visionary policies that are attracting investment and creating regulatory frameworks that accelerate the growth of the lithium industry.
The event brings together industry leaders, government representatives, regulators, mining and energy companies, investors and key suppliers, in a day that promises to promote innovation, collaboration and new opportunities in this growing market.
Attendees can engage in discussions about how this development is positioning Argentina to take advantage of increased global demand for this critical mineral.
The opinion of the provinces: Catamara and Jujuy
The Catamarca minister Marcelo Murúa highlighted the task carried out by the province with the Lithium Table -made up of Salta, Jujuy and Catamarca– in a coordinated work to unify operational criteria to develop the projects and highlighted the “new climate” that makes it possible to carry out the activity and the investment magnet that the Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI).
“The decision of the provincial government to accompany the regime, considering that first and foremost the vast majority of benefits are taxes and exceptions from the federal government. I always say that the national mining policy is the sum of the policies of the mining provinces, because at a general level there are very few policies that show that mining has or intends from the federal government to take root definitively,” he analyzed.
And this has nothing to do with the current federal government, but rather that for a long time mining has not been able to have the importance that countries have as taxes in Argentina. And therefore, we from the province are always, or at least Catamargo is a province that has been producing lithium for 27 years, it has the oldest production lithium project, and well, with a, which
Murúa explained how from his portfolio they simplify the processing of permits within the provincial promotion policies, to improve the quality of the studies that are presented by making the processes more flexible and streamlined. “They are always looking for ways to generate more exploration, to generate expansion of the projects that exist, and that is basically making mining available or taking it as a state policy in the province”he sentenced.
Finally, the minister reaffirmed that Catamarca takes mining as a State policy and stressed that it is an activity that has great acceptance by society. “Catamarca was the first producer of lithium at the time and had a copper project until 2018. It is a province that has mining at levels of acceptance in important society, and all development policies, which are designed from the concepts of provincial public policy, are proposed so that mining can be developed in general, but in particular, lithium mining”he stressed.
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In turn, the Jujuy minister Jose Gomez He highlighted that the northern province has been creating conditions since 2015 to expand the productive matrix and highlighted initiatives such as the creation of free zones, renewable energy generated with solar parks and the development of medicinal cannabis, which promoted “sustained growth” in Jujuy.
In this framework, Gómez added the production of one of the key minerals for the energy transition. “Lithium allowed us to change the idea of mining,” he said.and stressed that the government’s objective is to advance with mining that “It can be done in a sustainable and sustainable way”with new technologies such as Direct Extraction. “There are two companies that are thinking and wanting to analyze new exploitation strategies through direct exploitation. This will allow them to improve production processes, improve sustainability and sustainability over the years,” He said when he spoke.
Gómez said that in Jujuy they aim to claim the positive impact of mining, with well-paid workers and above all supporting local suppliers, where at least 60 companies are part of the communities where the mining companies operate and developed with lithium. , “We have a network of suppliers that is very important in the province, who grew alongside the industry,” the minister emphasized.
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Jujuy Energy and Mining of State Society
In this framework, he highlighted that today in the province more than 70% of suppliers hire local labor in lithium mining projects. “We want to sustain that, we want to continue improving day by day, and the best way is to work together with companies and seek permanent training and information,” he warned.
Along these lines, Gómez also advocated the search for new investors and commented that among the measures to facilitate the arrival of capital, progress was made with the digitization of information, such as the mining cadastre online and in real time with the deposits and the launch of a environmental monitoring software “so that everyone can” see how mining is developing in Jujuy. “Mining activity is the most controlled of all industries, the information must be shown,” he stated.
The opinion of the Mining officials of the Ministry of Economy
On behalf of the national government, Jorge Gonzalez praised the Argentine strategy over that of Chile and Bolivia, the three countries that make up the so-called “Lithium Triangle”. The director of Promotion and Mining Economy described Bolivia with a “more restrictive” mining, more closed to foreign investment, and Chile with problems in its Constitution, where for “variations and changes” In the rules of the game, the investments that were going to that side of the Cordillera came to Argentina. And about the country, He highlighted the decision that was adopted to be a country more open to private investments, with the RIGI and other measures.
“The international mining sector sees Argentina as a good market to do business”stated economist González, and added that this situation can be demonstrated today with an increase in exploratory budgets. For the official of the Ministry of Economy currently the Argentina is in a “hinge” moment for miningwith the potential of lithium to make the country enter the top three of world producers and fight for the first places.
Among the pending challenges, González detailed the concern regarding infrastructure, especially the need to expand the national energy network. “Mining development, on the positive side, is that it takes years. On the negative side, if we do not start to analyze now what we are going to need when the projects are created, there will not be the necessary infrastructure to store not only production, but also the inputs necessary for its generation,” he warned.
Finally, the official advocated starting to produce and generating an improvement in the Argentine trade balance from exports from the mining sector, but also recommended better communicating that the benefits of the activity remain in the country, and “The entire sector is pulling in the same direction.”
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Your colleague at the Ministry of Economy, Fernando Ciaceraalso emphasized the need to improve infrastructure – key to being able to develop mining projects -, the possibility of developing the mining value chain, with more suppliers and qualified labor, and the RIGI as a great incentive for the private sector is incorporated. “This is a unique opportunity we have,” said the director of Value Chain and Mining Infrastructure, and asked not to waste it.
“Infrastructure integrates many of the regions and is part of the productive matrix, of the logistical solutions to many industries. We say that the mining industry is the mother of all industries, which in itself is a driver of the value chain . That is what we try to promote, promote in the private sector, so that a resilient, competitive and transparent value chain is promoted for all industries and so that they decide what is best for mining.“he concluded.
Source: Ambito
