One of the largest lithium deposits in the world
Eramet Eramine, a 100% subsidiary of Eramet, a French mining and metallurgical group, is set to produce 24,000 Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE) per year at full capacity enough to power 600,000 electric vehicles annually. With 15 million tonnes LCE of available resources, Centenario Ratones is one of the largest lithium deposits in the world.
Located 3,800 meters above sea level in a remote high-altitude desert, the site is a six-hour drive from Salta city where Eramet Eramine headquarters are located.
After more than ten years of exploration, testing, construction, and commissioning, production began in December 2024 with an investment of nearly USD 1 billion. Eramet Eramine has the capacity to produce lithium carbonate suitable for batteries, backed by strong R&D, a skilled workforce, and strict health and safety standards to ensure both industrial performance and responsibility.
Lithium Triangle in Argentina, formed by the provinces of Salta, Catamarca, and Jujuy, located in the northwest of the country
One of the most efficient lithium extraction processes
10 years of laboratory research and development and five years of continuous monitoring, have enabled the teams of Eramet Ideas, the Eramet’s R&D center, to develop a new battery-grade lithium carbonate production process, with a very high level of direct extraction yield: the Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) process.
- +90% lithium recovery yield DLE process
- ~2 times less brine pumped than a conventional extraction process
- 1 week production time 18 months for the conventional process by evaporation
- 60% recycled water
Operating to the highest standards of responsible mining
As a responsible mining company, Eramet Eramine is committed to operating in line with the world’s most rigorous mining standards, ensuring respect for human rights, biodiversity, and local communities. In line with Eramet’s Act for Positive Mining roadmap, the company has voluntarily committed to being audited against the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), the world’s most demanding mining standard.
