US commits $7 billion framework to secure Argentine lithium and copper supply chains through 2027

The United States and Argentina formalized the Andes-Atlantic Corridor on September 23 during the UN General Assembly, establishing a framework for up to $7 billion in financing through 2027 targeting critical mineral supply chains. The Export-Import Bank of the United States signed a non-binding agreement to mobilize capital for mining, energy security and grid modernization projects, with funds directed primarily toward procurement of American equipment and services beginning in 2027.

Argentina holds 117.91 million metric tons of copper reserves and 216.32 million metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent. The country forms part of the Lithium Triangle alongside Chile and Bolivia, a 400,000-square-kilometer salt flat region containing 40 to 60 percent of global lithium reserves. Argentine copper exports declined between 2012 and 2019 following mine closures and capital flight, according to analysis by the Payne Institute for Public Policy, creating a supply gap the corridor aims to reverse.

EXIM issued a preliminary $6 billion term sheet for Argentina LNG, a $51 billion integrated project led by state producer YPF to export Vaca Muerta natural gas through a 12-million-tonne-per-annum liquefied natural gas terminal. The financing remains contingent on final investment approvals and contractor selection favoring US suppliers including McDermott and MasTec subsidiaries.

The corridor prioritizes rehabilitation of the Belgrano, San Martin and Urquiza freight rail lines, with Industrial Info Resources tracking 135 rail projects valued at over $1 billion. The initiative addresses transport bottlenecks between Andean mining zones and Atlantic ports, including optimization of the Hidrovía waterway system through which 80 percent of Argentine exports transit. Argentina awarded a 25-year concession to Belgian-Argentine consortium Vía Navegable Troncal in June to modernize river trading routes, projected to attract $10 billion in private investment.

US officials will deploy delegations to Jujuy and Salta provinces in October to assess lithium and copper projects for direct financing. The Development Finance Corporation and US Trade and Development Agency will accompany EXIM representatives to identify transactions eligible for political risk insurance and feasibility study grants. Analysts describe the corridor as a strategic counter to Chinese capital already established in Argentine lithium operations, with Washington offering credit guarantees to mitigate Argentina’s sovereign risk profile. The framework designates the corridor as the first Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment route in the Western Hemisphere under the G7 initiative.