TNR Gold eyes first royalty payment following Mariana Lithium shipment Proactive uses images sourced from Shutterstock

TNR Gold Corp (TSX-V:TNR, FRA:TNW, OTC:TRRXF) has welcomed the news that Ganfeng Lithium’s subsidiary Litio Minera Argentina S.A. has completed the first export of lithium chloride from the Mariana Lithium Project in Argentina, on which TNR holds a 1.5% net smelter return (NSR) royalty.

According to the update, Litio Minera Argentina shipped 10 containers of lithium chloride from its final processing plant in General Güemes, Salta Province. Each container carried 24 tonnes, for a total shipment of 240 tonnes. Customs verification was conducted at the processing facility.

“For the sector, this sets a high-value operational precedent with integrated control, quality, and traceability,” Litio Minera Argentina S.A. said in a statement. “For the community, this step means more than just a shipment: it is confirmation that Salta can export to the world with its own identity, with a production network that involves local stakeholders, and with a strategic mineral for the global energy transition."

Litio Minera Argentina S.A. said the Mariana Project is among the first lithium chloride producers in Argentina. Production begins at the Llullaillaco Salt Flat, where pre-processing ponds and wells are located, and concludes at the General Güemes plant, from which the export originated. The shipment was transported by rail with support from local trucking companies.

TNR Gold congratulated the Ganfeng Lithium team and the communities of Argentina on completing the first shipment of high-purity lithium chloride from the Mariana Lithium Project. The company described the export as a major milestone in the project’s development and an important step for TNR Gold as it moves toward generating cash flow from its royalty interests.

TNR Gold also noted that lithium prices in China have recovered significantly, with lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) currently trading between approximately US$18,000 and US$20,000 per tonne, compared with levels below US$10,000 per tonne about a year ago. The company said this market improvement underscores the strategic timing of the production ramp-up.

"We are very pleased that Ganfeng completed the first export of lithium chloride produced from Mariana Lithium in Argentina," TNR Gold's executive chairman Kirill Klip said. "We are looking forward to our first NSR royalty cash flow payments from the Mariana Lithium Project."

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