President Javier Miley revealed that Pole Elon Musk “He's very interested in lithium.” like “The United States government and many companies” north america. With these statements, the president seems to favor the Tesla CEO and American companies, over the role that the Argentine provinces currently play in developing this matter. The country's main strategic resource.
Lithium carbonate (LCE) is Basic raw materials for Tesla electric car batteries, One of the main companies in Musk's store. For this reason, the president's words suggest the idea of Westernizing the mineral at the expense of provinces – such as Catamarca and Jujuy – that seek to develop it, leaving national production in the background.
Argentina is on track to become the third largest lithium producer within a few years, As a result of the current demand at the global level and also due to the progress in the projects being implemented which In 2026, it will allow the country to more than triple its current production and reach up to 260,000 tons of lithium carbonate.
Today Argentina is the fourth largest lithium carbonate producer in the world (after Australia, Chile and China), and has three projects in commercial operation:
-Salar de Olaroz, In Gogoi from Allkem, Australia;
-Phoenixin Catamarca by the American company Levent;
-Olarose Kosharialso in Jujuy Province, from the Argentine company Exar.
Given the energy transition the world is facing and the growth in demand for inputs that will be necessary going forward, Our country has a great opportunity to seize an increasing part of the world's mineral supplyparticularly as a supplier of lithium for electric vehicle batteries, the supply of which Musk leads globally.
This interest is reflected in lithium In the eight most advanced projects under construction that have major capital from companies from the United States, China, South Korea, France and Australia.
The relationship between Javier Miley and Elon Musk It started when the liberal began posing as a presidential candidate and began exchanging praises with the businessman of South African origin via his social network X (formerly Twitter). After Miley won the November 19 election, he actually invited the mogul to attend the inauguration ceremony on December 10, which ultimately did not happen.
Starlink, Elon Musk's other interest in Argentina
But in addition to lithium, there is another point of interest for Musk in Argentina. Starlink, its satellite internet company, is now available in our country after the Decree of Necessity and Urgency (DNU) amending the country which enables the liberalization of services, among other reforms.
Elon Musk's company will operate unhindered from April 2024 thanks to a 366-article reform announced by the government. It was Miley himself who mentioned the company among his national network: “liberating satellite Internet services to allow the entry of companies like Starlink.”
Buzz on social networks
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There was an uproar on social media behind the president's statements. “Mr. President: Lithium does not belong to Elon Musk, nor to the United States, nor to “interested” companies. If you want to respect the right to ownership of lithium, start by mentioning which provinces, according to the Constitution, are the owners of the resource. Hernan Letcher.
For his part, the leader of the Federal Consensus said “Topo” Rodriguez He launched out: “Very serious! At the request of the US government, Miley is preparing a special legal framework so that businessmen from that country, including Elon Musk, can hold Argentine lithium. The false version spread by the Byronists? no! The president says so.”
