Lithium exploration in Argentina’s Salta
NOA Lithium Brines Inc. has hired Montgomery & Associates (M&A) to carry out the hydrogeological model of the Rio Grande salar, in support of the Preliminary Feasibility Study for its Rio Grande project, which the company expects to complete before the end of 2026.
Gabriel Rubacha, CEO of NOA Lithium, said: "This is another milestone in Rio Grande's journey to feasibility. Our goal this year remains to complete the PFS and this event marks the initiation of the activities necessary to achieve this."
One of the initial preliminary tasks of the prefeasibility study is the preparation of a basin water balance report, scheduled for completion by the end of the first quarter of 2026. This is a fundamental engineering report for the project, as it quantifies total inflows and outflows, as well as changes in water storage at the project site.
Rio Grande is located near numerous projects and operations owned by some of the lithium industry’s leading players. NOA has been rapidly consolidating one of the largest lithium brine concession portfolios in the region not held by a producing company, with key positions across three prospective salars — Rio Grande, Arizaro and Salinas Grandes — totaling more than 140,000 hectares.
NOA Lithium is a lithium exploration and development company established to acquire assets with significant resource potential. All of its projects are located in the heart of the prolific Lithium Triangle, in Argentina’s Salta province, a region that also extends into Chile and Bolivia.
Montgomery & Associates is an international water resources consulting firm specializing in water management and mining hydrogeology services, including the characterization of aquifer conditions. Founded in 1984, it operates with offices in South America currently located in Santiago, Chile, and Salta, Argentina. M&A’s headquarters are in Tucson, Arizona. Its client portfolio includes most of the domestic and international mining companies operating across the Americas.
M&A has been working on NOA’s Rio Grande project since 2023 and has extensive experience in Argentina and the broader region. The firm has also worked on many operating and development-stage projects in Argentina, including multiple lithium brine projects in production and under development.
Unlocking Rio Grande’s potential
Located at about 3,600 meters (11,800 feet) above sea level, the geological setting of the Rio Grande salar is similar to that of other salars in the Puna plateau, where several successful lithium projects are already in operation.
Rio Grande is located near a railway line, alongside Provincial Route 27, and about 185 kilometers (115 miles) south of Provincial Route 51, the international highway linking the region to Chile’s Pacific ports. It lies about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the international rail station at Caipe. The InterAndes power transmission corridor runs just a few kilometers from the salar.
Pluspetrol holds the most advanced lithium resource development project at the salar, with concessions adjacent to those of NOA. NOA’s concessions are located on the western, northern and eastern flanks of the salar, covering both the surface salar and the alluvial fans, or covered salar.
NOA Lithium Brines has been making significant investments in exploration and concession acquisitions, underscoring the company’s commitment to the integrated development of its lithium projects and progress toward commercial production.
The company achieved significant advances at the project and published its initial resource less than 12 months after listing. Since then, the initial resource has doubled to 4.7 million metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent, with an average lithium concentration of 525 milligrams per liter.