CleanTech Lithium expands Argentina foothold: project and capex notes for mine planners
Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

First reported on MINING.com
30 Second Briefing
CleanTech Lithium has secured options over the Genoveva and Sal de Litio 1 brine properties in Argentina’s Salar de Antofalla, about 80 km from its Laguna Verde project in Chile, adjacent to Albemarle-held ground. The roughly $1.93 million deal, funded from existing cash, involves $525,000 in year-one payments and a further $1.4 million scheduled between October 2027 and May 2031, giving CleanTech the right to 100% ownership. Management is targeting a 2027 exploration start and is evaluating shared infrastructure and a centralised conversion facility in Copiapó across Laguna Verde, Viento Andino and Antofalla.
Technical Brief
- Option agreements cover 100% of the Genoveva and Sal de Litio 1 brine licences.
- Antofalla tenements lie in Catamarca Province, contiguous with Albemarle-held exploration ground on the salar.
- Transaction is fully funded from CleanTech Lithium’s existing cash, avoiding immediate equity or debt issuance.
- Laguna Verde remains the lead development asset, with Antofalla positioned as a longer-term growth pipeline.
- Management is assessing integration of Antofalla with Laguna Verde and Viento Andino for shared field infrastructure.
- A single Copiapó conversion facility would centralise chemical processing, reducing duplicated plant capex across three projects.
Our Take
CleanTech Lithium’s move into Argentina around Salar de Antofalla effectively regionalises the Laguna Verde business case in Chile, where our coverage shows a pre‑tax NPV of $1.37 billion over 25 years, signalling a strategy to backstop that flagship with nearby brine optionality.
With a London market value of about $25.5 million against a Laguna Verde PFS valuation in the billion‑dollar range, the 100% acquisition of Genoveva and Sal de Litio 1 looks geared to re‑rate the company as a multi‑basin lithium story rather than a single‑asset junior.
The relatively modest scheduled follow‑on payments of $1.4 million between 2027 and 2031 suggest CleanTech Lithium is preserving balance‑sheet flexibility to fund process development and permitting at Laguna Verde while it de‑risks the new Antofalla and Viento Andino positions in Catamarca Province.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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