What we do?

This paper analyzes socio-environmental governance in Argentina, focusing on China’s growing presence in the renewable energy and lithium mining sectors, and their respective implications for a just energy transition. Over the last decade, lithium has acquired geostrategic centrality, attracting foreign investment, particularly from China. This boom is not occurring in isolation: China is a key trading partner, a significant source of financing and investment, and has also increased its participation in infrastructure projects.

The Argentine legal framework grants provinces original ownership of resources, resulting in regulatory diversity and the lack of a unified national strategy for addressing lithium. Mining and energy promotion laws have incentivized investment, while environmental regulations have established protection standards. However, the implementation of rights such as prior consultation with Indigenous communities is incomplete, leading to socio-environmental tensions. Based on the analysis of three case studies—the Cauchari-Olaroz lithium project (in the province of Jujuy), the Tres Quebradas project (in the province of Catamarca), and the Cauchari Solar Park (in the province of Jujuy)—the study addresses the problems that arise with the Chinese presence in Argentina. It identifies recurring conflicts over access to and use of water; impacts on fragile ecosystems; shortcomings in consultation processes; precarious employment; and tensions related to gender issues.

The document concludes that Argentina faces serious challenges in ensuring a just and sustainable energy transition. It proposes strengthening socio-environmental governance through greater federal coordination; the effective fulfillment of community rights; transparency in information; and ongoing dialogue among governments, companies, and civil society, including specific recommendations for Argentine and Chinese stakeholders.