São Paulo, October 31 (Argus) - The Argentine subsidiary of French mining company Eramet, Eramine, has successfully resumed its lithium salt extraction project in Argentina. The project was previously delayed in the first half of 2025 due to technical issues.
The Centenario Ratones lithium carbonate plant of Eramine produced 2,080 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in the third quarter, which was almost three times the 710 tons produced in the first to June period. This year, due to technical problems that hindered the evaporation unit of the plant, the capacity increase of the plant was postponed. Eramet stated in its quarterly report that the problem has been "completely resolved".
The company also announced that the "final major step" of its production process has been initiated, which has enabled the plant's average production status to reach 50% of its designed capacity, compared to 10% in June.
Eramine plans for Centenario Ratones to reach full production within the next 6-9 months. The project is designed to have a battery-grade lithium carbonate production capacity of 24,000 tons per year.
The company sold 1,000 tons of LCE in the third quarter, an increase of 92% compared to the first half. The main customers were positive material manufacturers in China. During this period, Eramet sold lithium worth 7 million euros (8 million US dollars), higher than 4 million euros in the first six months of this year.
