拟投资9亿美元，力拓与智利国家铜业将合作开发锂矿

Group 1 - Rio Tinto announced a joint venture with Chile's state-owned copper company to develop and operate the Maricunga salt lake lithium project, expected to be completed by the end of Q1 next year [1] - Rio Tinto will acquire a 49.99% stake in Maricunga Salt Lake Company and invest $350 million initially for further research and resource analysis [1] - The Maricunga salt lake is the second largest in Chile, with an area of 14,000 hectares and lithium reserves of 8 million tons, with a lithium concentration of 1,100 mg/L [1] Group 2 - In 2021, Rio Tinto announced an $825 million acquisition of the Rincon mining project in Argentina, completing the acquisition in March 2022 [2] - Rio Tinto approved a $2.5 billion expansion of the Rincon project, aiming to increase annual production from 3,000 tons to 60,000 tons by 2028 [2] - The company completed a $6.7 billion acquisition of Arcadium Lithium, becoming the third largest lithium producer globally, with plans to achieve an annual production of 200,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent by 2028 [2] Group 3 - Lithium carbonate prices have been declining, with expectations for a recovery in prices by 2026 due to improved supply-demand dynamics and new demand from high-density battery applications [2]