By Mathew Cohen Rio Tinto has secured approval for its $2.5bn lithium mining project in Argentina's Salta province, becoming the first mining venture to win backing under the government's Large Investment Incentive Regime (RIGI).

Argentina's government on Tuesday approved a $2.5 billion lithium mining project by Anglo-Australian giant Rio Tinto , , marking the first mining project under a new investment incentive regime.

LONDON-- (BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rio Tinto has today been confirmed as the preferred partner for the Salares Altoandinos lithium project in the Atacama region of Chile by Empresa Nacional de Minería (ENAMI), a state-owned Chilean mining company.