{
  "id": 11513074,
  "title": "Rio Tinto Plans US$2.7 Billion Lithium Project in Salta",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/rio-tinto-plans-us-2-7-billion-lithium-project-in-salta",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-02T18:25:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Rio Times",
    "slug": "the-rio-times",
    "url": "https://www.riotimesonline.com/argentina-rio-tinto-lithium-salta-50000-tonnes-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Rio Tinto has announced plans for a US$2.7 billion lithium project in Rincón, located in Argentina's Salta province. The project, which is not new, is set to produce 50,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year, with two production lines each capable of generating 25,000 tonnes. The first production line is expected to commence in 2028, as reported by El Tribuno and the Salta edition of Aries. The project aims to create over 600 permanent jobs directly and around 4,000 indirect jobs by April 2027. Construction currently employs 255 people directly, while indirect employment is expected to reach 4,000 between April and July 2027, once the plant is fully operational. Rio Tinto agreed to invest in the project in 2021 and it became the first mining project approved under Argentina's RIGI incentive scheme for large investments in May 2025. Salta already has several large lithium developments, including those operated by Ganfeng. President Javier Milei attended Argentina Week in Paris to attract investors to the province. Despite low lithium prices at the time of the permit grant in 2025, the plant will be positioned to sell into whatever market exists in 2028. The US$2.7 billion cost figure is based on the RIGI-approved amount in 2025, which matches the 50,000 tonnes annual production capacity.",
  "summary": "Rio Tinto lithium plan for Argentina: the Rincón project in Salta is set to cost US$2.7 billion, make 50,000 tonnes a year and open its first line in 2028. The post Rio Tinto Plans US$2.7 Billion Lithium Project in Salta appeared first on The Rio Times .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}