Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF), Mitrani Caballero, White & Case, Martínez de Hoz & Rueda (MHR) advised on US$1.175 billion financing for Río Tinto’s Rincón Lithium Project in Argentina.

A group of international lenders, including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Inter-American Investment Corporation (IDB Invest), Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and Export Finance Australia (EFA), provided a US$1.175 billion financing package to support the development of Río Tinto’s Rincón lithium brine project in Salta, Argentina. The total project investment is approximately US$2.5 billion.

This is the first mining project approved for development under Argentina’s Régimen de Incentivo para Grandes Inversiones (RIGI) framework, and will produce around 60,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate annually, powering over 1 million electric vehicles per year, while supporting local employment, economic diversification, and global critical mineral supply chains.

Norton Rose Fulbright advised the lender group on the financing.

The cross-border deal team was led by Jeremy Hushon (Washington, DC) and Daniel Metcalfe (London), with additional support from Matt Hacking, Jens Nessow, Damian Flores, Priya Kahlon, Muchinda Muma, Lucy Reynolds (London), Micaela Garcia-Ribeyro (Washington, DC), Jose Cobena Serrano (São Paulo), George Gibson, Akihiko Takamatsu, Yosuke Nomura (Tokyo), Nick Sinclair, Elouise Dellit, and Jessica Jenke (Australia).

Mitrani Caballero also advised the lender group, with Partner Julio Martínez leading the team including Matias Olcese, Corina Laudato, Javier Errecondo, Laura Huerta, Sofia Leggiero, Sofia Bonel Tozzi, Catalina Sarrabayrouse, Leonel Palomares, Graciana Ick, and Santino Giannuzzi.

White & Case advised Río Tinto on the financing, supporting the borrower-side legal requirements for the project.

Martínez de Hoz & Rueda also advised Río Tinto on the transaction, complementing the borrower-side counsel.