Rincon Lithium Project – Argentina

OVERVIEW

The Rincon Lithium Project currently comprises up to ~2,794 hectares of Mining Titles and mining easement landholdings at the Salar del Rincon in Salta Province, Argentina.

Argosy currently has a 77.5% interest in the entity that owns Rincon Lithium Project – Puna Mining S.A., with the right to move to 90% ownership in consideration for funding the 10,000tpa operation development.

The mining titles are 100% owned by Puna Mining and/or Argosy has legal, secure, binding and exclusive option rights to complete 100% acquisition of the properties.

The Project is located in the elevated and arid Puna region of Argentina and forms part of a number of highly mineralised salars in production and development.

The company has delineated a JORC resource at  the project and completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA), which provided exceptional results. The PEA highlighted the project could support a 10,000tpa operation over a 16.5 year life of mine.

The Company completed a resource expansion exploration diamond drilling program materially expanding the current JORC Total Mineral Resource Estimate to 686,875 tonnes Li2CO3, with works being conducted to increase the current project mine-life and future annual production capacity.

The Project area is serviced by high quality infrastructure including access via all-seasons roads, electrical power, solar power, a terminus for a natural gas pipeline, and road and railway to Antofagasta port facilities in Chile.

SUMMARY

The Rincon Lithium Project is located in the world-class “Lithium Triangle” – the world’s dominant source of lithium production:

  • Located in Salar del Rincon, Salta Province, Argentina
  • Flagship asset in Argosy’s lithium fast-track development strategy toward battery grade lithium carbonate (LCE) production
  • Puna Mining S.A. and the Rincon Project is a partnership with pre-eminent lithium processing expert, Pablo Alurralde

Stage 1 – Industrial Scale Pilot Plant

  • Produced over 30 tonnes of high purity battery grade lithium carbonate
  • Sold 25 tonnes of product from the operation to Asian based customers

Stage 2 – 2,000tpa Lithium Carbonate Operation

  • The plant is constructed and currently in ramp-up phase
  • Produced high purity battery grade lithium carbonate product
  • Production operations commencing in 2024

Stage 3 -10,000tpa Lithium Cabonate Operation

  • Preliminary Economic Assessment completed
  • Environmental Impact Assessment submitted to the department of the Salta Province Secretary of Mining
  • Updated JORC Total Mineral Resource Estimate of 686,875 tonnes Li2CO3 completed
  • The upgraded JORC Total Mineral Resource Estimate will increase the current project mine-life and annual production capacity beyond current projected rates
  • Aim to commence construction upon EIA approval and securing development funding

NEAR TERM KEY MILESTONES

  • Use updated JORC resource to prepare upgraded sustainable commercial production target and long-term life of mine modelling
  • Ramp up lithium carbonate production operations from the 2,000tpa facility
  • Receive EIA regulatory approval for 10,000tpa Li2CO3 expansion operation
  • Key 10ktpa engineering works updates (incl. FEED, capex & opex)
  • Conduct product sales from the 2,000tpa operation
  • Commence construction of the 10,000tpa expansion operation (upon EIA approval and securing development funding)