Reuters
Argentina’s lithium pipeline promises ‘white gold’ boom as Chile tightens control
In Argentina’s mountainous north, a strong pipeline of lithium projects close to coming online looks set to unlock a wave of production that could see its output of the key electric vehicle battery metal as much as triple within the next two years. The world’s fourth largest producer of the silvery-white metal sits within the so-called “lithium triangle” and has been luring investment from Canadian to Chinese mining firms with a regional and market-led model, even as a wave of resource nationalism has spread in the region. Neighboring Chile, the region’s top lithium producer, last week unveiled plans for a state-led public-private model, spooking investors.