Overview
- The government’s RIGI register now lists 48 projects with 27 approvals and 21 still under evaluation, and 13 of the approved projects are in the mining sector.
- RIGI projects carry US$76.173 billion in total pledged investment, and mining disbursements reached US$2.579 billion of the US$7.602 billion paid in 2026.
- Industry groups estimate mineral exports rose from about US$4 billion in 2024 to US$6 billion in 2025 and to roughly US$9.5–10 billion in 2026, driven by lithium, copper, gold and silver.
- Executives say the next test is turning promises into local benefit by securing long-term contracts, building Argentine supplier capacity, training skilled workers and fixing ports, roads and rail to move ore to market.
- Analysts note a strategic global demand for lithium and copper, with the International Energy Agency projecting large regional value from critical-minerals projects and warning that sustained gains require legal certainty and stable financing.