A program tailored to the industry.
Conferences, matchmaking sessions and networking spaces distributed throughout the day, designed so every moment of the event has a purpose.
October 7, 2026
Day 1 Schedule
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Badge collection and networking coffee
First conversations in JujuyRegistration, welcome coffee and an opening opportunity to connect with the lithium industry
Lithium in South America opens with a welcoming space for participants, international delegations, companies, government officials and leaders from across the value chain. It is an opportunity to hold the first business conversations and begin two days of dialogue in the region at the heart of Argentina’s lithium industry.
- –Opening snapshot · An introduction to what’s happening in Argentine lithium
The mining industry in northwest Argentina, from the inside
Three industry chambers discuss the region’s next stage of mining developmentOpening snapshot: an introduction to developments in Argentina’s lithium industry
Jujuy, Salta and Catamarca account for a significant share of Argentina’s new production capacity and mining investment pipeline. In the opening panel of the conference programme, the heads of the three provincial mining chambers will examine the conditions shaping the industry’s next stage: sustained exploration, operational performance, supplier development, infrastructure, talent, permitting, regional dynamics and new investment. The discussion will consider the current position of all three jurisdictions, with particular emphasis on the issues that increasingly call for a regional approach.
Arturo Pfister President, Jujuy Mining Chamber 
Juan Martín Gilly President, Salta Mining Chamber 
Abás Tanus Mafud President, Catamarca Mining Chamber Moderators
Tomás Karagozian La Fábrica Podcast 
Oliver Maltz La Fábrica Podcast - –
International outlook: Positioning for the new geography of critical minerals
Capital, financing and partnerships to turn resources into tangible growthGlobal competition for critical minerals is reshaping the decisions of governments, investors, multilateral institutions and capital markets. What does a project need today to secure financing and move into construction? How has international sentiment towards Argentina changed? This panel will examine capital, risk mitigation, financial markets, infrastructure and international cooperation, as well as what Argentina must do to translate its geological advantage into competitive projects and commercial production.
Felipe Fuentes Senior Underwriter – Industries, Latin America & the Caribbean, MIGA – World Bank Group Xavier Lhote
Ilse Cougé Head of Cooperation, European Union Moderators
Natacha Izquierdo Director of Operations, Abeceb 
Ignacio Celorrio 2026 Honorary Committee Member / Lithium Argentina - –
Lithium in Argentina, an industry in motionOpening Ceremony
Governors and national authorities set out the outlook for mining and lithiumThe expansion of the lithium industry has placed Jujuy, Salta and Catamarca at the forefront of a productive transformation whose impact extends well beyond the mineral itself. As part of the official opening, the governors who make up the Lithium Roundtable will discuss investment, infrastructure, suppliers, employment, competitiveness and regional coordination. The conversation will also address relations between the federal government and the provinces, and the role mining could play in Argentina’s economic development over the coming years.
The opening session will focus on what the region needs to support a new scale of investment; how to finance infrastructure that crosses provincial boundaries; how far a regional supplier policy can be developed; how to coordinate standards, permitting and institutional capabilities; the tangible outcomes delivered by the Lithium Roundtable; and the place mining should hold in Argentina’s economic and productive agenda through 2027.
Carlos Sadir Governor of Jujuy 
Raúl Jalil Governor of Catamarca 
Gustavo Sáenz Governor of Salta 
Fernanda Ávila Executive Secretary, Lithium Roundtable 
Luis Lucero Secretary of Mining of the Argentine Republic 
Roberto Cacciola President, Argentine Chamber of Mining Companies * More speakers TBC - –
Brunch and business networking breakIn partnership with International Lithium Association
In partnership with the International Lithium AssociationThe day’s first break will double as a lunch and networking space among participants. The extended schedule will allow the brunch to combine with pre-arranged meetings, encounters between delegations, and conversations that emerge from the opening block.
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A new regulatory framework for mining investment in Argentina
What changes under Decree 482/2026 and how it affects companies, projects and suppliersMore than three decades after the original regulations implementing Mining Investment Law No. 24,196 were introduced, Argentina has updated one of the principal frameworks governing investment in the sector. This presentation will examine the changes introduced by Decree 482/2026 regarding imports, the inclusion of service providers, regional integration, digitalisation and administrative procedures, as well as how the decree interacts with the investment mechanisms currently available to the mining industry.
María Eugenia Bais National Director of Mining Investments, Secretariat of Mining - –
Managing growth
The challenges lithium investors in Argentina are addressing todayArgentina’s lithium industry now has enough operating and advanced-stage projects for the conversation to shift from potential to performance. Costs, ramp-up, expansions, infrastructure, recovery rates, talent, suppliers and operational stability are part of an increasingly concrete agenda. Companies with different operating experiences and business models will compare what they are learning on the ground, where the main points of friction currently lie and which variables will determine the competitiveness of brine-based lithium production over the coming years.
Carlos Carrillo Rio Tinto Lithium 
Luciano Berenstein Albemarle 
Simón Pérez Alsina EXAR 
Guillermo Simonutti COO, Eramet 
Nicolás Damin CSO, CNGR Guadalupe MuñozModerators
Tomás de Pablos 2026 Honorary Committee Member - –
Argentina and the United States: Critical minerals within a strategic relationship
Security of supply, investment and new partnerships in an increasingly fragmented global landscapeCritical minerals now occupy a central place in economic security, industrial policy and international trade agendas. Against this backdrop, Argentina and the United States deepened their cooperation on mining and processing in 2026, while Washington accelerated its efforts to diversify and strengthen supply chains.
The panel will examine the specific opportunities this new framework creates for Argentina’s lithium industry, particularly in investment, infrastructure, financing and value addition. It will also consider how Argentina can consolidate its relationship with one of the world’s leading economic and technology hubs while maintaining a diversified position in global mining and strategic ties with other markets.Fernando CiáceraShunko Rojas Senior Advisor, U.S. Chamber of Commerce / Atlantic CouncilGabriela AguilarModerator
José de Castro CEO, Alchemia - –
Networking coffee break
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From resource to batteryKeynote · In English
Lithium, costs and integration across the LFP value chainThe growth of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries in both electric mobility and energy storage systems is reshaping the global lithium value chain and reinforcing the importance of lithium carbonate within the industry’s cost structure.
The presentation will examine the global distribution of resources, the economic differences between brine and hard-rock production, and how movements in lithium prices flow through to precursor materials, cathodes and batteries. It will also address the role of integration across the different stages of the value chain in reducing risk, improving competitiveness and responding to increasingly diverse technology demand.
From a Chinese perspective, the session will explore the principal trends that could reshape global supply through 2030, including the growth of hard-rock lithium production in Africa and its competitive position relative to Latin America. The presentation will provide the perspective of one of the world’s leading battery-materials companies on the changes likely to guide the market, investment decisions and future supply requirements.
Yang Jianyu (杨建育) Keynote Delivered in Chinese with simultaneous interpretation into English - –
Asia and the global positioning of Latin American lithiumKeynote · In English
What Asian markets are looking for and what sets the region’s development models apartResource availability is only the starting point. Turning those resources into production, processing capacity and new industrial capabilities also depends on product type and quality, infrastructure, costs, regulatory conditions and the investment incentives available in each jurisdiction.
Andrew Leyland will examine the products the Asian industry requires from international suppliers, ranging from lithium chloride and off-specification carbonate to battery-grade chemicals and cathode active materials. He will also explain the factors companies consider when deciding where to locate projects, establish partnerships or secure supply, and why Africa is beginning to compete with Latin America for the development of new stages of the value chain.
José Hofer will consider how public policy can enable or constrain the execution of these investments. Drawing on the experiences of Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Brazil, he will compare the role of incentives, state participation and investment-promotion regimes, including Argentina’s Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI), Brazil’s MOVER programme and the evolution of Chile’s policy framework.
Together, these complementary perspectives will explain the conditions required to turn resources into production and the policy tools that can support the development of a broader value chain.
Andrew Layland Founder, SC Insights 
José Hofer Lithium Supply Chain Specialist, SC Insights Keynote Delivered in English with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish - –
Lithium: still a misunderstood industry?Keynote · In English
Today’s market, the outlook for South America and the relationships that will shape the next decadeThe lithium industry is entering a new stage marked by rising demand, the arrival of new participants and intensifying competition to develop high-quality supply. Yet the market remains shaped by conflicting narratives, forecasts that are difficult to substantiate and interpretations that do not always reflect how the industry actually works.
In conversation with Zelandez, Joe Lowry will examine current market conditions and the shifts that have reshaped the sector over the past decade. The discussion will cover price cycles, the growth of stationary energy storage, the evolution of supply and the need to understand lithium as a chemical industry rather than a conventional mining market.
Particular attention will be paid to the conditions that, in Lowry’s view, position Argentina and South America to capitalise on lithium growth over the next ten years. He will also expand on one of his central arguments about the industry’s international balance: why China needs South American resources and products more than South America depends exclusively on the Chinese market.
Drawing on more than three decades of experience and episodes recounted in Lithium Confidential, Lowry will connect lessons from the industry’s history with the decisions, relationships and capabilities that could define the next stage of the global market.
Joe Lowry Founder, Global Lithium LLC · Author of Lithium Confidential: Confessions of a Corporate Misfit Clint Van Marrewijk Co-founder, ZelandezKeynote Delivered in English with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish - –
Lithium Confidential book signing with Joe Lowry
Meet the author and have your copy signed at the close of the conference programmeJoe Lowry will sign copies of Lithium Confidential for attendees who purchased the book in advance with their Lithium in South America registration or during the conference. This informal closing session offers readers an opportunity to continue the conversation with one of the lithium industry’s most widely recognised international authorities.
Joe Lowry Founder, Global Lithium LLC · Author of Lithium Confidential: Confessions of a Corporate Misfit - –
Welcome to Jujuy cocktail receptionSponsors and guests only
Official reception with representatives of the host province and leaders from Argentina’s mining industryThe first day concludes with a reception hosted alongside the Province of Jujuy, bringing together national and provincial authorities, company leaders and executives, speakers and prominent members of the mining community. The reception will provide an institutional and business setting in which to welcome participating delegations, strengthen relationships and bring the opening day of Lithium in South America to a close.