"These investments are being made in areas with very high growth," Christel Bories, Eramet's chair and CEO, told Reuters. "Lithium is not tied to world economic growth, it's tied to the development of batteries and the energy transition." A $400 million deal with Glencore (GLEN.L) to market lithium from the project's first stage will mostly cover Eramet's financing needs for the next tranche, Bories said. In Chile, meanwhile, the group said it had acquired for an initial $95 million a 120,000-hectare lithium concession in the Atacama region. Reporting by Gus Trompiz, Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Persons: Ivan Alvarado, it's, Bories, Eramet's, Gus Trompiz, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Louise Heavens Organizations: National Reserve, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Centenario, BASF, Koniambo, SAS, Thomson Locations: Antofagasta region, Chile, Argentina, Indonesia, Centenario, Atacama, Gabon, China, New Caledonia, SLN