POSCO Holdings announced the completion of a lithium hydroxide production plant in Guemes, Salta Province, Argentina, with a ceremony held on Oct. 24. Located at Hombre Muerto Salt Pan, the facility can produce 25,000 tons of lithium hydroxide per year—enough to support battery production for approximately 600,000 electric vehicles. This addition raises POSCO’s annual lithium hydroxide production capacity to 46,500 tons, including output from the POSCO Pilbara Lithium Solution’s plant in Gwangyang, South Korea.
“The completion of this plant is an important first step for POSCO Group to produce high-value-added lithium in Argentina,” stated Kim Jun-hyung, head of POSCO’s Secondary Battery Materials Division. “Through following projects, POSCO Group will position itself as a leader in the global lithium industry.”
POSCO began its lithium operations in Argentina after acquiring mining rights at Hombre Muerto in 2018 and later invested around $830 million in this first phase.
The company applied its own lithium extraction technology at the plant, designed to reduce maintenance costs by recycling auxiliary raw materials, according to a POSCO representative.
Currently under development, a second phase plant will add another 25,000 tons of annual capacity by the second half of 2025, supported by an investment of roughly 1 trillion won. POSCO also plans to launch a third phase, increasing production to a total of 100,000 tons annually.
