Leadership Spotlight: Critical Minerals and the Contest for Strategic Power

Why It Matters

Argentina’s emerging lithium and copper production will diversify Western supply chains, offering investors a high‑growth, geopolitically secure foothold in the clean‑energy transition.

Key Takeaways

• Argentina aims to become rock‑solid US partner for lithium, copper.
• New tax incentives grant 30‑year fiscal stability for miners.
• Privatized railway project will link Buenos Aires to copper‑lithium hubs.
• Provincial governors across parties back long‑term mining strategy.
• Argentina targets 570k tons LCE and 1.5M tons copper by 2035.

Summary

The Atlantic Council’s Leadership Spotlight featured Argentina’s Mining Secretary Luis Lucero, who outlined the country’s aggressive push to become a cornerstone of the global critical‑minerals supply chain. Lucero emphasized Argentina’s ambition to act as a "rock‑solid partner" for the United States and the broader Western bloc, leveraging its vast lithium and copper endowments to bolster energy security. Key data points underscored the scale of the opportunity: Argentina ranks fifth worldwide in lithium reserves and second in resources, while sitting sixth in copper reserves according to S&P. Production targets aim for 570,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent and 1.5 million tons of copper annually by 2035. The government sustains a long‑standing mining investment regime offering tax cuts, import‑duty exemptions and 30‑year fiscal stability, recently refreshed with the RIH incentive package. Lucero repeatedly used the phrase "rock‑solid partner," echoing remarks from visiting U.S. miners. He highlighted a map showing lithium‑rich provinces (Jujuy, Salta, Catamarca) and copper hubs (San Juan, Mendoza), and detailed concrete steps such as privatizing a trans‑national railway to move ore to Atlantic ports and coordinating provincial road upgrades. The implications are profound: a reliable Argentine supply could alleviate Western dependence on China for critical minerals, attract billions in foreign investment, and stimulate domestic job creation. Infrastructure upgrades and workforce training are now priority actions to translate policy incentives into operational mines, positioning Argentina as a strategic ally in the race for clean‑energy materials.

Original Description

Critical minerals have become a defining arena of geopolitical and economic competition, shaping how governments and industries think about resilience, industrial capacity, and strategic influence. The discussion will explore the growing global contest over control of critical mineral supply chains; how consequential the minerals competition truly is; and how both the public and private sectors are recalibrating strategies in response to supply chain risk and growing demand for refining, processing, and downstream manufacturing capacity. The session will also examine how resource-rich nations are attempting to attract investment, move up the value chain, and scale both production and processing capabilities in an increasingly competitive global market.

Speakers

H.E. Luis Lucero

Secretary of Mining,

Argentine Republic

Session Chair

Jason Marczak

Vice President and Senior Director,

Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center