Mine / resource · Argentina

Fénix (Hombre Muerto)

ProducingVerified 24 Oct 2026As of 24 Oct 2026

Owner: Rio Tinto (ex-Arcadium)
Listed via: RIO
Product: Brine
Deposit type: Brine
Capacity: 30 kt LCE/yr after Phase 1A (mid-2024); Phase 1B lifts nominal capacity to ~40 kt LCE/yr
≈ 30 kt LCE/yr (nameplate)
Location: -25.40°, -67.10°
Source: Filing used for verification

Line 1B ramp-up progressing well; Q3 2026 output hit by planned maintenance on Lines 0 and 1A and severe weather in July.

Ownership structure

Effective economic interest of listed owners · As of 24 Oct 2026

Listed owner	Stake	kt LCE/yr
Rio Tinto RIO	100%	≈30

Structure: Rio Tinto (ex-Arcadium).

Owners, buyers and the refineries on Li3atlas they feed · As of 24 Oct 2026

Mine / resourceFénix (Hombre Muerto)30 kt LCE/yr after Phase 1A (mid-2024); Phase 1B lifts nominal capacity to ~40 kt LCE/yr

As of 24 Oct 2026

As of 24 Oct 2026

Q2 2026Fénix 1B expansion (10 ktpa LCE) first productionFirst production · source

Policy risk: Medium As of 24 Oct 2026

Royalty: Provincial royalty capped at 3% at the mine mouth; Catamarca and Salta have legislated up to 5%

RIGI investment regime covers lithium and cuts the effective tax rate (Fundar model for a Salta project: 42.8% to 30.4%). source

Approved changes with their source · As of 24 Oct 2026

Date	Field	Change	Source
24 Oct 2026	Milestone	new: Q2 2026 · Fénix 1B expansion (10 ktpa LCE) first production First production Completed	Rio Tinto 2026 half year results (ASX, 29 Jul 2026)
24 Oct 2026	Notes	Direct-extraction hybrid process. → Line 1B ramp-up progressing well; Q3 2026 output hit by planned maintenance on Lines 0 and 1A and severe weather in July.	Rio Tinto Third Quarter Operations Review 2026 (ASX, 14 Oct 2026)
24 Oct 2026	Verified	Values confirmed	Rio Tinto Third Quarter Operations Review 2026 (ASX, 14 Oct 2026)
24 Oct 2026	Resource / reserve	new: resource 11.7 Mt LCE · reserve 5.4 Mt LCE · 720 mg/l Li (brine) · as of 2025-06-30	Rio Tinto Notice to ASX: Initial reporting of lithium Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (4 Dec 2025)
24 Oct 2026	Mine life	new: 40	Rio Tinto Notice to ASX: Initial reporting of lithium Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (4 Dec 2025)
24 Oct 2026	Capacity	~30 kt LCE → 30 kt LCE/yr after Phase 1A (mid-2024); Phase 1B lifts nominal capacity to ~40 kt LCE/yr	Rio Tinto Notice to ASX: Initial reporting of lithium Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (4 Dec 2025)