France’s Eramet freezes lithium mine project in Argentina

Eramet has postponed an Argentine lithium mine project aimed at shifting the group’s focus towards electric vehicle minerals, it said, citing economic and regulatory uncertainty in the debt-stricken South American country.

The French company had been due to make a final investment decision on the project after giving initial approval last year for plans to start producing lithium from late 2021.

"The context in Argentina and the wider economic climate do not allow us at the moment to launch with serenity such a project," chairman and CEO Christel Bories told reporters after the company reported that it had swung to a net loss in 2019.