SOUTH AMERICA

South America critical minerals coverage is anchored in the Lithium
Triangle — Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia — which holds an estimated
55% of global lithium reserves. Chile is also the world’s largest
copper producer, while Brazil controls approximately 90% of global
niobium production. This section tracks SQM, Albemarle, Arcadium
Lithium, Lithium Americas, and the pipeline of brine and hard rock
lithium developers advancing through Argentina’s Puna plateau.
Policy divergence — from Chile’s state-led lithium model to
Argentina’s investment-open RIGI framework — is a defining theme,
alongside copper project developments in Peru, Ecuador, and Chile
and the region’s growing importance to Western battery supply chains
in 2026.