The Argentine research and development company for the energy industry Y-TEC (YPF Tecnología SA) signed an agreement with the company Livent, a pioneer in the production of lithium in our country, with the aim of promoting the change of the energy matrix towards renewable energies. cells in Argentina, through the development and local promotion of cells.
“Soon we will launch Unilib and begin to produce the first lithium ion battery cells in the country. It is important for us to have lithium carbonate to make a venture that has more than 12 years of scientific research a reality,” he said. Roberto SalvarezzaChairman of the Y-TEC Board of Directors, after signing the agreement in YPF’s Torre Madero.
In this sense, YPF Tecnología SA provides technological solutions to the energy sector since 2013 and academically trains specialists for the development of the industry in the region, for this reason, together with the National University of La Plata, they will start a plant dedicated to the process. of the local industry, called Unilib, which will begin production in 2023.
In this frame, Salvarezza added that, with this agreement, “we are transferring the knowledge developed to the provinces -including Catamarca-“, so the first cells will be produced with lithium carbonate from Catamarca.
Lithium-ion cells will be used in stationary batteries, mainly to meet the storage needs in systems that produce clean energy, and their potential use in electric mobility.
For his part, Paul Graves, President and CEO of Livent, underscored the company’s commitment to supporting the development of a national energy storage industry, stating that, “the association with Y-TEC will continue to position Livent as a contributor key to the growth of clean energy in Argentina”.
In parallel, the company created by YPF and Conicet will work so that the product supplied by the lithium company is allocated to development and promotion projects with an impact (direct or indirect) in the province of Catamarca.
Finally, the governor of the province of Catamarca, Raúl Jalil, expressed his pride in continuing to work together with Livent for the benefit of the province and the country’s energy sector, “because it is one of the largest generators of employment in the private sector “He also assured that this alliance will be key to promoting the industrialization of the mineral in Argentina.
The meeting was attended by Hernán Letcher, Vice President of YPF Litio; José Ignacio Costa, Director of Corporate Affairs at Livent; Luciano Mancuso, Livent’s Director of Operations; Marcelo Murúa Palacio, Minister of Mining of the Province of Catamarca; Karina Veras, official of the economic section responsible for mining issues of the United States Embassy in Argentina; and representatives of Government Affairs of AmCham Argentina (United States Chamber of Commerce in Argentina).
