President Alberto Fernández stressed that Argentina is “privileged” for having the “second lithium reserve in the world”, after signing an agreement in Quinta de Olivos with the CEO of the Chinese company Gotion High Tech, Li Zhen, for the company to establish two plants in the country in association with the national company Corven.
“The world has moved towards the use of renewable energies and Argentina is fortunate to be privileged because any of these energies exist in the country. We have a privileged situation with lithium, we have the second largest reserve in the world,” said the president after signing the agreement, according to an official statement.
He also highlighted that it is “promoting electric power for mobility”, and that in this sense, the Government has sent “a law to the Chamber of Deputies”which, he considered, “similar to the one that promotes the automotive and agri-food industry”, with the aim of “providing certainty to investors”.
During the meeting, the head of state “analyzed” with the delegation of the Asian company the projects that Argentina has in relation to the lithium industry, which according to the statement “make it a regional benchmark in the matter.”
It was announced that with the agreement The Chinese company will install an electric bus plant in the country and another of manufacture of lithium cells and batteriesin association with the Argentine motorcycle and auto parts company, Corven.
In addition, it was reported that Fernández “conversed” with the company’s executives “about the Sustainable Mobility Law”, which is in parliamentary status and close to being discussed in Congress, and which “promotes investments in electromobility, through of the creation of a special regime for vehicles powered by sustainable energy sources”.
The company Gotion Inc. is dedicated to the manufacture of lithium batteries for the automotive industry in several countries and ranks fifth globally in the category, in addition to also producing battery-grade lithium carbonate and cells.
The president was accompanied by the Minister of Productive Development, Daniel Scioli, the Secretary of Industry, Ariel Schale, the Ministry’s adviser, Marcelo Kloster, the Secretary of International Economic Relations, Cecilia Todesca, and of Mining, María Fernanda Ávila.
After the meeting, Scioli asserted that “the President has created the conditions for a leading Chinese company to invest in manufacturing in the lithium value chain.”
Likewise, he explained that “although it has been extracted and exported for years”, only now “have the conditions for the industrialization of lithium been generated”, which he considered as “a great advance towards the future of electromobility that is coming”.
For its part, the CEO of Gotion High Techremarked that “this type of visit is very important for us and we want to continue promoting the bilateral relationship.”
