Mendoza to begin EIA for lithium project

Argentina's Mendoza province will begin an environmental impact assessment (EIA) process for what could be its first lithium project – Don Luis, submitted by local firm El Jarillar and Australia's Ampere Lithium.

The exploration of lithium salts would be carried out in Salinas del Diamante, an ecosystem located in the department of San Rafael. El Jarillar has extracted salt in that same location for years to market table salt for human consumption, among other products.

Mendoza's energy and environment minister Jimena Latorre said the EIA process will be carried out in accordance with the guidelines of Argentina's environmental law and the Escazú Agreement, whose treaty was ratified by the country in 2020. "Access to environmental information and public participation in decision-making will be guaranteed," said a statement from the provincial government.

A public hearing will be held on November 25 to guarantee public participation and receive comments from interested entities, communities and organizations as part of the EIA process to be carried out by the applied sciences for industry school of the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo.

Nevertheless, the open-air salt deposit, Salinas del Diamante, has the particularity of being adjacent to Laguna Diamante, an area that has been declared of interest for the conservation of wetlands and biodiversity as it is the habitat of species such as ducks, geese and flamingos.