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Argentina","rio-tinto-secures-financing-package-for-rincon-project-in-argentina","article/rio-tinto-secures-financing-package-for-rincon-project-in-argentina",{"_uid":547,"date":548,"tags":549,"editor":562,"content":572,"excerpt":743,"featured":51,"reporter":744,"component":754,"seo_title":755,"categories":756,"visibility":762,"data_vis_image":763,"featured_image":768,"seo_description":772,"formattedDate":773,"formattedArticleDate":774},"fde08852-dddf-4b9d-ba38-283ee2048d8f","2026-03-19 00:00",[550,553,556,559],{"slug":551,"name":552},"argentina","Argentina",{"slug":554,"name":555},"rio-tinto","Rio Tinto",{"slug":557,"name":558},"south-america","South America",{"slug":560,"name":561},"data-visualisation","Data Visualisation",[563],{"slug":564,"name":565,"content":566},"benjamin-roche","Benjamin Roche",{"job_title":567,"image":568,"bio":570,"linkedin":571},"Editor – Energy Transition Supply Chains",{"filename":569},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/800x800/66d6674fb8/benjamin-roche.png","Benjamin is Benchmark's Editor for Energy Transition Supply Chains, covering both upstream products like critical minerals and downstream products including energy storage systems and electric vehicles. He has previous experience covering trade flows, tariffs and the effects of geopolitics on supply chains.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrochecontent/",{"type":573,"content":574},"doc",[575,604,612,622,634,667,686,699,721],{"type":576,"attrs":577,"content":578},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[579,587,599],{"text":580,"type":581,"marks":582},"Rio Tinto has cleared a significant hurdle for its Rincon lithium project in ","text",[583],{"type":584,"attrs":585},"textStyle",{"color":586},"#000000",{"text":588,"type":581,"marks":589},"Salta, Argentina ",[590,597],{"type":591,"attrs":592},"link",{"href":593,"uuid":594,"anchor":49,"target":595,"linktype":596},"/article/view-from-the-ground-in-argentina-a-defining-moment-for-dle","d6542838-0f53-455f-9d44-f7f7018e4d8c","_blank","story",{"type":584,"attrs":598},{"color":586},{"text":600,"type":581,"marks":601},"by securing a US$1.175 billion financing package from a consortium of international lenders. The funding supports the US$2.5 billion development, which is aiming for a capacity of 60,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year. At nameplate, Rincon would be one of the largest lithium operations in South America, sitting behind Nova Andino Lithium (formerly SQM) and Albemarle’s operations in Chile’s Salar de Atacama. ",[602],{"type":584,"attrs":603},{"color":586},{"type":576,"attrs":605,"content":606},{"textAlign":49},[607],{"text":608,"type":581,"marks":609},"The financing announcement follows Rio Tinto’s first export of 200t of battery-grade LCE from the Rincon starter plant. That plant, which entered operation last year, is expected to ramp up to 3,000t LCE per year and effectively serves as a commercial-scale demonstration of the project’s flowsheet and product quality.",[610],{"type":584,"attrs":611},{"color":586},{"type":613,"attrs":614},"blok",{"id":615,"body":616},"51fd383a-c8ac-4f39-8d55-26c99b99e0f0",[617],{"id":618,"_uid":619,"type":596,"component":620,"fixed_height":621,"use_fixed_height":50,"fixed_height_mobile":621,"fixed_height_tablet":621},"3620837","i-80c30348-8ba9-4134-a225-3be1a74e2a76","ContentFlourish","",{"type":623,"attrs":624,"content":626},"heading",{"level":625,"textAlign":49},2,[627],{"text":628,"type":581,"marks":629},"Announcement bolsters Rio Tinto’s brine position",[630,632],{"type":584,"attrs":631},{"color":586},{"type":633},"bold",{"type":576,"attrs":635,"content":636},{"textAlign":49},[637,642,648,657,662],{"text":638,"type":581,"marks":639},"From early 2025, Rio Tinto has increased its involvement in the lithium market. ",[640],{"type":584,"attrs":641},{"color":586},{"text":643,"type":581,"marks":644},"Management has used the recent downcycle in lithium prices to consolidate its exposure to the battery materials space, first through ",[645],{"type":584,"attrs":646},{"color":647},"#18181B",{"text":649,"type":581,"marks":650},"the acquisition of Arcadium Lithium",[651,655],{"type":591,"attrs":652},{"href":653,"uuid":654,"anchor":49,"target":595,"linktype":596},"/article/rio-tinto-commits-to-buy-arcadium-lithium-for-6-7-billion","a48744cb-c3ff-40c9-8afc-ac6fc9845a7d",{"type":584,"attrs":656},{"color":647},{"text":658,"type":581,"marks":659}," and now by accelerating development across selected projects in its portfolio.",[660],{"type":584,"attrs":661},{"color":647},{"text":663,"type":581,"marks":664}," ",[665],{"type":584,"attrs":666},{"color":586},{"type":576,"attrs":668,"content":669},{"textAlign":49},[670,675,681],{"text":671,"type":581,"marks":672},"Rio Tinto has recently announced that it would slow down construction at its Nemaska Lithium processing facility, in Quebec, Canada in light of rising costs and a strategic review on spodumene supply. By contrast, the company is doubling down on the “Lithium Triangle”,  prioritising Rincon as well as its projects in Chile. The scale and longevity of the South American salars, in addition to a strategic timeline to secure Incentive Scheme for Large Investments (RIGI) tax and foreign exchange benefits in Argentina, and Special Lithium Operating Contract ",[673],{"type":584,"attrs":674},{"color":586},{"text":676,"type":581,"marks":677},"(",[678],{"type":584,"attrs":679},{"color":680},"#001D35",{"text":682,"type":581,"marks":683},"CEOL) approval in Chile, increase their appeal relative to Canadian hard-rock development, which faces hurdles including tariff uncertainty.",[684],{"type":584,"attrs":685},{"color":586},{"type":623,"attrs":687,"content":688},{"level":625,"textAlign":49},[689,695],{"text":690,"type":581,"marks":691},"Increases Argentina’s role in lithium supply chain",[692,694],{"type":584,"attrs":693},{"color":586},{"type":633},{"text":663,"type":581,"marks":696},[697],{"type":584,"attrs":698},{"color":586},{"type":576,"attrs":700,"content":701},{"textAlign":49},[702,707,716],{"text":703,"type":581,"marks":704},"The agreement cements Argentina’s position as one of the ",[705],{"type":584,"attrs":706},{"color":586},{"text":708,"type":581,"marks":709},"global leaders in lithium production",[710,714],{"type":591,"attrs":711},{"href":712,"uuid":713,"anchor":49,"target":595,"linktype":596},"/videos/the-state-of-argentinas-lithium-sector","0737790d-922f-4390-83b0-1abc19819937",{"type":584,"attrs":715},{"color":586},{"text":717,"type":581,"marks":718},", increasing its capacity considerably.",[719],{"type":584,"attrs":720},{"color":586},{"type":576,"attrs":722,"content":723},{"textAlign":49},[724,729,738],{"text":725,"type":581,"marks":726},"Politically, it represents ",[727],{"type":584,"attrs":728},{"color":586},{"text":730,"type":581,"marks":731},"a milestone for Milei's RIGI law",[732,736],{"type":591,"attrs":733},{"href":734,"uuid":735,"anchor":49,"target":595,"linktype":596},"/article/argentinas-copper-developments-accelerate-under-new-incentive-regime","d7ac7e45-8f3d-40ef-9c3e-a2238ab07b30",{"type":584,"attrs":737},{"color":586},{"text":739,"type":581,"marks":740},", which has helped secure billions in mining investment to develop copper and lithium projects. The presence of Rio Tinto also raises confidence around future mining projects.",[741],{"type":584,"attrs":742},{"color":586},"Rio Tinto has cleared a significant hurdle for its Rincon lithium project in Salta, Argentina by securing a US$1.175 billion financing package from a consortium of international lenders. The funding supports the US$2.5 billion development, which is aiming for a capacity of 60,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year.",[745],{"slug":746,"name":747,"content":748},"federico-gay","Federico Gay",{"job_title":749,"image":750,"bio":752,"linkedin":753,"markets_covered":8},"Principal Analyst - Lithium",{"filename":751},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/599762cb57/federico-gay.jpeg","Federico is an economic geologist specializing in lithium at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. His expertise bridges technical and financial domains, with a background that spans deposit assessment, resource estimation, cost modelling, pricing trends, and ESG analysis. Federico’s career includes hands-on mining experience in Chile across lithium and copper deposits, as well as market-facing roles at the London Stock Exchange, focusing on lithium, precious metals and copper. His work supports strategic insights into the global energy transition and critical mineral supply chains. He holds a MSc in Economic Geology from Universidad Catolica del Norte, Chile.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/federico-gaston-gay-1aa629160/","article","Rio Tinto secures financing for Rincon project in Argentina",[757,759],{"slug":758,"name":8},"lithium",{"slug":760,"name":761},"critical-minerals","Critical Minerals","private",{"id":764,"alt":621,"name":621,"focus":621,"title":621,"source":621,"filename":765,"copyright":621,"fieldtype":766,"meta_data":767,"is_external_url":50},156676598805365,"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/891x845/8aa54d0078/rio-tinto-map.png","asset",{},{"id":769,"alt":621,"name":621,"focus":621,"title":621,"source":621,"filename":770,"copyright":621,"fieldtype":766,"meta_data":771,"is_external_url":50},129070995649049,"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/b6de7372ec/bm-rincon.jpeg",{},"Rio Tinto has cleared a significant hurdle for its Rincon lithium project in Salta, Argentina by securing a US$1.175 billion financing package from a consortium of international lenders.","Mar 19, 2026","19th March 2026",[],[],1784908350326]