Abstract

The Rincon Lithium Project, located in Argentina's renowned "Lithium Triangle" within the Salta Province, represents a long-term, scalable resource poised to supply battery-grade lithium carbonate to meet global energy transition needs. Amidst Rio Tinto’s ambitious decarbonization goals for 2050, Rincon has the potential to be a strong symbol of sustainable resource development. This project addresses growing demand for critical minerals and has the potential to be a leader in community engagement and partnership with Indigenous communities, government entities, and local stakeholders in the Puna region.

Building upon the principles of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), this paper outlines the beginning of the journey of the Rincon project in establishing fostering mutually beneficial relationships with the Kolla and Atacama Indigenous communities in its area of influence. These collaborations have initially focused on cultural preservation and future benefit-sharing agreements while respecting the unique socio-environmental landscape of the Puna.

The Rincon project operates in an area of small and isolated communities. The presence of multiple small and mid-sized mining enterprises underscores the need for consistent, rigorous community and environmental standards to promote sustainable practices in the region. In response to this context, Rincon has proactively invested in local capacity-building, aligning its practices with regional priorities and legislative advancements.

The project’s “Rincon One Team” approach has been key to ensuring that project impacts, priorities and execution embed community voices and aspirations. This governance strategy underscores Rincon’s current commitment to building a human-rights-focused strategy, including a community grievance mechanism, and co-designed local procurement and local hiring policies and procedures.

By working collaboratively with local authorities and Indigenous peoples, the Rincon project has successfully laid the groundwork and fostered partnerships for outcome-driven social investments and catalyzed regional economic growth, thereby enhancing long-term local resilience. As shown in other mining geographies, strengthening local and regional infrastructure and building government institution capacity for resource management are critical for lasting development outcomes after mines close.

Rincon is leveraging its presence in the Puna region of Argentina to set up a framework for collaboration with key actors in the development ecosystem. This includes the national, regional, and provincial governments, as well as internationally organizations and other development entities. The goal is to ensure a fair and equitable energy transition that benefits the indigenous peoples and host communities.