Salar Tres Quebradas (3Q), stage 2 — lithium carbonate (LIEX/Zijin)
Tres Quebradas stage 2: plant and infrastructure for 40,000 t/year of lithium carbonate via direct extraction (DLE), per art. 1 of Resolución 1153/2026 (all stages combined target 60,000-80,000 tpa, projected). Mine life >19 years. The official announcement of July 2026 projected ~4,406 jobs across construction and operation and exports of ~USD 400 M/yr: the act records neither figure. Third Catamarca lithium project in the regime.
The projectwhat it is, the route, the owners, the works and the contractors
Who owns it
LIEX S.A., dedicated branch (subsidiary of China's Zijin Mining group) verif Jul 14, 2026 ↗
The works, milestone by milestone
Resolución 1153/2026 of the Ministry of Economy is published, approving the adhesion: USD 594,136,000 in computable assets, a 40,000 t/yr plant using direct extraction, a 30-Nov-2027 deadline for the minimum investment, and 60.26% of the amount earmarked for suppliers committed to local suppliers.
The second stage's RIGI adhesion date, fixed by article 2 of the resolution that approved it.
LIEX S.A. signs with POWERCHINA the project's power supply system: a photovoltaic park with more than 7 MW of storage for the salt flat and Fiambalá sites.
Who already has a contract
Two consecutive contracts for LIEX S.A. in Fiambalá, Tinogasta department. The first, 200 hectares, is declared finished: 2,040,000 m² of geomembrane, 2,040,000 m² of geotextile and 2,103,000 m² of crust breaking. The second, another 200 hectares, is declared under execution with a term of 8 months including winter: 2,078,000 m² of crust breaking, 162,000 m³ of walls, 374,000 m³ of base layer and 1,788,000 m² each of geotextile and geomembrane. The contractor publishes no amount for either work.
Contract signed on 17 July 2022 with LIEX S.A., for a photovoltaic park with «almacenamiento de energía de más de 7 MW» for the salt flat and Fiambalá sites, at 4,100 masl. The contractor's sheet, consulted today, still states that the work «actualmente se encuentra en preparación para inicio de construcción».
How to supply itwhere to register, what they ask for and what they will buy
How to become a supplier
Liex S.A. Sucursal Dedicada, tax ID 30-71929244-1, domiciled at San Martín 280, San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca. It is a branch dedicated to the RIGI: the first stage's operation invoices through Liex S.A. and the expansion through the branch.
Purchasing is decided by LIEX S.A., Zijin's Argentine subsidiary, domiciled in the provincial capital. Unlike the other three projects in the batch, here the heavy construction already has contractors identified and published by themselves, so the real door for an SME is the subcontract: the ponds joint venture and the electrical EPC are the ones buying equipment hours, geomembrane welding, transport and camp services.
The registration routes that exist today, with their status. The one that is up and running is not always the official one.
Re.P.E.M. — Catamarca's registry of suppliers to mining companies
up and running todayIt is the only door that reserves a quota for a Catamarca supplier, and it is not a law: it was created by Resolución S.E.M. 498/2014, whose article 4 requires mining companies to ensure that «la cantidad total de contrataciones anuales de obras, servicios, compra de bienes y/o insumos a proveedores inscriptos en el Re.P.E.M. no deberá ser inferior al setenta por ciento (70%) del total de contrataciones con proveedores». Sub-statutory rank: it can be changed by another resolution of the same secretariat.
What they ask you for
Actual and registered domicile in Catamarca of no less than two years' standing, with the principal place of business inside the province. This is the requirement that puts a two-year clock on any SME from another province. verif Jun 23, 2014 ↗The eight requirements of article 5 of Resolución S.E.M. 498/2014, plus the annual renewal in article 9. The cost of entry is administrative, not technical: the resolution asks for no certification and no minimum capital.
In a company, 50% of the legal entities, partners or shareholders must have their actual or registered domicile in Catamarca; and a UTE «deberá estar compuesta mínimamente en un cincuenta por ciento (50%) por proveedores locales». That is the door the rule leaves open to get in without relocating: partner with a local firm. verif Jun 23, 2014 ↗The eight requirements of article 5 of Resolución S.E.M. 498/2014, plus the annual renewal in article 9. The cost of entry is administrative, not technical: the resolution asks for no certification and no minimum capital.
70% of professional, technical and administrative employees must be natives or residents of Catamarca with no less than two years' standing. verif Jun 23, 2014 ↗The eight requirements of article 5 of Resolución S.E.M. 498/2014, plus the annual renewal in article 9. The cost of entry is administrative, not technical: the resolution asks for no certification and no minimum capital.
Municipal licence, registration as a taxpayer with the provincial revenue agency, registered constitutional instruments, the sworn statement of Annex I, and a half-yearly update of the data. Annex I also requires proof of membership in the relevant chamber of suppliers: chamber membership is a requirement of the registry. verif Jun 23, 2014 ↗The eight requirements of article 5 of Resolución S.E.M. 498/2014, plus the annual renewal in article 9. The cost of entry is administrative, not technical: the resolution asks for no certification and no minimum capital.
«Los simples intermediarios» — plain intermediaries — are expressly excluded. verif Jun 23, 2014 ↗The eight requirements of article 5 of Resolución S.E.M. 498/2014, plus the annual renewal in article 9. The cost of entry is administrative, not technical: the resolution asks for no certification and no minimum capital.
This project's local-content commitment is 60.26% of the amount earmarked for paying suppliers, goods and works, against a 20% floor. ⚠️ It is of the amount earmarked for suppliers, not of total investment, and «local» here means Argentine: the resolution names no provincial local-content law. verif Jul 29, 2026 ↗60.26% of the entire investment amount earmarked for the payment of suppliers, goods and infrastructure works, during the construction and operation stages.
The order you get in by
Establish actual and registered domicile in Catamarca, or form the UTE with a local partner that already has the two years' standing. This is the step that sets the calendar for all the others. two years of domicile standing, or immediate if you enter through a UTE with a local firm
Obtain the municipal licence and register as a taxpayer with the provincial revenue agency. not published
Join the relevant chamber of suppliers: proof of that membership goes inside the Annex I form. not published
File the Annex I sworn statement with the Dirección Provincial de Promoción Social Minera, together with the registered constitutional instruments and the payroll evidencing the 70% of Catamarca employees. not published
Keep it alive: half-yearly data updates and annual renewal before 30 March (article 9). half-yearly and annual
Knock on the subcontract, which is where the door is: the Pietroboni, ITALCA and BMI joint venture has 200 hectares of ponds under execution with an 8-month term, and POWERCHINA has the power system signed. the declared term of the second stage of ponds is 8 months, winter included
What it will buy, and when
The Article 4 deadline to certify the minimum investment is Nov 30, 2027 and the works run through Apr 1, 2029: that is almost seventeen months of difference, and all the big spending is forced onto the early side. It is the dataset's clearest case of a buying window pulled forward relative to the schedule.
Two dated phases: construction of the process plant and infrastructure for 40,000 t/yr between June 2026 and April 2029, and operation from Apr 1, 2029. Direct extraction (DLE) changes what it buys compared with an evaporation salar: fewer ponds and more plant, chemicals and water.
Each phase buys different things at different times. The links lead to the matching market or trade.
Construction of the process plant and infrastructure (40,000 t/yr)
under wayVerbatim from the act: «estimating the start of the construction stage for June 1, 2026 and the start of operation for April 1, 2029». Investment plan for the first two years: USD 107,537,000 and USD 308,048,000, with a Nov 30, 2027 deadline.
They are not buying any of this today. Open the phase to see the detail and arrive qualified the day it goes to tender.
Operationfrom Apr 1, 2029not started13 ítems+
Start of operation declared in the act for April 1, 2029, over a capacity of 40,000 tonnes per year.
What it will need and has no supplier for yet
Civil works and high-altitude plant assembly (Fiambalá/Tinogasta, ~4,300 m above sea level)
highBuilding the 40,000 tpa plant next to the existing operation: peak demand for local contractors of the Catamarca Puna.
Heavy transport and Fiambalá-to-ports logistics
highDoubling output doubles the outbound flow of carbonate and the inbound flow of inputs (lime, soda ash).
We cross what you manufacture or do against the 2 phases of this project and tell you which ones you fit into and when each one buys. Two pages, with the evidence behind them.
Analyze my companyWhat it leaves in Catamarcajobs, works, taxes, promises and the outlook
The works that stay behind
The infrastructure that stays standing once the works end, with its size and its source.
132 kV high-voltage line between Tinogasta and Fiambalá
Powerof line, upgrading of the Tinogasta transformer station and two 60 MVA transformers in Fiambalá, financed by Zijin Liex
Fiambalá and Tinogasta. The line is paid for by the miner but stays in the provincial grid: it improves household supply and enables the growth of tourism, mining and agro-industry in the area. It was a long-standing demand of the community.
«Una inversión adicional de US$20 millones por parte de Zijin Liex», with «un tendido de 50 kilómetros, cuya finalización está prevista para los próximos meses», as of 27-Jan-2026. ⚠️ There is a second figure for the same work: Panorama Minero, on 15-Sep-2025, describes it as «una línea eléctrica de US$22 millones que beneficiará a todo Fiambalá». Both are published with their date; they are neither averaged nor resolved in favour of the higher one.
- What it already pays in taxes and royalties — We have not broken down this project’s local fiscal contribution: the primary source that sets each item still has to be opened, and an act of the State is not published on press backing.
- Who promised what — We have not surveyed the public promises about this project. A dated, verifiable commitment with its source closes them.
What could stall itrisks and how to track them
- What could stall it — We have not documented this project’s risks. An identifiable vector with its source closes them.
- How to tell whether it is advancing — We have not defined this project’s indicators: what observable fact marks its progress still has to be identified.
How we verified thisthe act, the gaps and the sources
The RIGI act, in detail
EX-2026-14906968- -APN-SCEYM#MEC verif Jul 29, 2026 ↗
Jul 3, 2026 verif Jul 27, 2026 ↗
The act’s articles, in detail
5 facts on the commitment
60,26 % of the amount earmarked for suppliers that goes to LOCAL suppliers verif Jul 29, 2026 ↗
The entire investment amount earmarked for paying suppliers, goods and infrastructure works, during that project's construction and operation stages verif Jul 29, 2026 ↗
30 November 2027 to complete the minimum investment amount (art. 4). verif Nov 30, 2027 ↗
594136000 USD verif Jul 29, 2026 ↗
Liex S.A. Sucursal Dedicada, tax ID 30-71929244-1, registered at San Martín 280, San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca. verif Jul 29, 2026 ↗
What we could not confirm
There are 2 in this project. Each says why it could not be confirmed and what it would take to close it.
H-01The split between construction and operation of the 4,406 jobs attributed to the project+
The figure in circulation —4,406 direct and indirect jobs— is a single sum of both stages and both kinds of employment, calculated by the Ministry of Economy when it approved the admission. Resolución 1153/2026 carries no employment figure.
H-02Which stage of the project the second batch of halite ponds under execution belongs to+
The contractor publishes the work —200 hectares, 8 months, under execution— with client LIEX S.A. and a location on the salt flat, but its project sheet carries no date and does not name the stage. And there are two possible destinations: the 2nd stage that adhered to the RIGI, or the technical upgrade of the 1st stage that Zijin itself says takes it from 20,000 to 30,000 t/yr. This is the measured trap of this front: there is physical work near the project and it may not be the project's. That is why the `estado_obra` field remains at «sin evidencia pública».
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