5 February 1998: Argentina“s Salar del Hombre Muerto lithium mine is expected to be in full production by early 1998, after long construction delays in purchasing and delivery of equipment and materi…
5 February 1998: Argentina“s Salar del Hombre Muerto lithium mine is expected to be in full production by early 1998, after long construction delays in purchasing and delivery of equipment and materials, its US owner FMC Lithium Corp said. The mine is to provide about 30% of the world“s annual lithium supply. Full annual output is estimated at 25 million pounds per year of lithium carbonate and 12 million pounds of lithium chloride over a lifespan of more than 40 years. A conservative estimate of the deposit“s recoverable lithium reserves is 850,000 tonnes, FMC said. “The production facilities are all completed, and with the exception of the chloride plant, they are all in production,” said Victor Maurtua, general manager of FMC“s Argentine unit Minera del Altiplano SA. “We expect to meet our customer demands for 1998,” he added. Maurtua said about 10-15% of total sales will be made to the commercial lithium carbonate markets. The remaining lithium will be sent to FMC“s lithium division in North Carolina to make pharmaceutical intermediates, lithium metal foils for batteries, specialty polymer initiators and other products. Hombre Muerto“s exports of lithium carbonate began in December 1997. The company said it could not specify total investment, annual sales estimates and the export markets it is targeting for competitive reasons