In March, the French mining group Erame's lithium plant in Argentina reached 80% of its designed capacity.
Erame stated that its sole lithium plant, "Centenario-Ratones", had an average capacity utilization rate of approximately 80% of its designed capacity of 24,000 tons per year in March. After a production adjustment in February, it has resumed production. In February, the group conducted long-term downtime maintenance on some equipment to implement design improvements and support the capacity enhancement process. At the same time, restrictions on natural gas supply further limited production, resulting in a production volume of 3,720 tons in the first quarter.
Despite the interruptions, Erame's lithium product sales reached 3,920 tons of lithium carbonate in the first quarter, generating an income of 57 million euros (approximately 66.5 million US dollars), with an average price of approximately 16,986 US dollars per ton. The sales revenue from lithium products alone in the first quarter exceeded the entire 2025 revenue, highlighting the continuous rise in lithium prices.
The project achieved the highest capacity utilization rate in March, reaching the highest level since its commissioning. Erame set a production guidance of 17,000-20,000 tons of lithium carbonate for 2026.
