Rio Tinto's latest financial report shows that lithium salt production reached 12,700 tonnes of LCE in Q1 2026, while the full-year lithium carbonate production guidance remains at 61,000–64,000 tonnes of LCE.
Among the company's three major operating projects, the Olaroz project faced production pressure due to heavy rainfall in early year and subsequent low evaporation levels. The Fenix project was also affected by weather disruptions, but to a relatively lesser extent. At the Rincon project, the initial 3,000 tonnes per year capacity continued to ramp up, partially offsetting the weather-related production disturbances. In addition, the Fenix 1B and Sal de Vida projects have achieved mechanical completion as planned, with first production progressing smoothly, and are expected to come online in the second half of 2026.
Edited by Cassie Li, lixiangying@mysteel.com
