Khanij Bidesh India Limited, or KABIL, is advancing its first overseas lithium venture from contractual control into deep exploration in Argentina. The state-backed company holds exploration and exclusivity rights over five brine blocks in Catamarca province under a project budgeted at about ₹2 billion, or roughly $24 million.
The portfolio comprises Cortadera-I, Cortadera-VI, Cortadera-VII, Cortadera-VIII and Cateo-2022-01810132. Together they cover approximately 15,703 hectares near Fiambalá in the Tinogasta department, within Argentina’s portion of the South American lithium triangle.
KABIL signed the exploration and development agreement in January 2024 with Catamarca Minera y Energética Sociedad del Estado, or CAMYEN, the provincial mining and energy company. The contract gives the Indian venture exclusivity to evaluate, prospect and explore the blocks, with commercial exploitation rights becoming relevant only if lithium is discovered and the required approvals are obtained.
An environmental authorization granted in April 2026 cleared the way for boreholes, surveys and exploratory drilling designed to determine the brines’ volume and quality. The exploration plan presented locally included 11 holes of about 800 metres each and a preliminary drilling-stage investment of as much as $4 million, a fraction of the broader project commitment.
KABIL is a 40:30:30 joint venture of National Aluminium Company, Hindustan Copper and Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Limited. Created in 2019 under India’s Ministry of Mines, it is mandated to identify and develop overseas mineral assets that could strengthen supplies to Indian industry; the Catamarca agreement is its first government-company lithium exploration and mining project abroad.
Lithium access matters to India’s electric-vehicle and stationary-storage ambitions, but ownership of exploration rights does not yet secure battery-grade material. Drill results must support a resource model, and any mine would still require technical studies, additional permits, processing capacity, infrastructure, financing and a commercial route for moving lithium into the Indian value chain.
Catamarca gains a state-to-state investor and retains a direct role through CAMYEN. KABIL has announced a local office in Fiambalá, engagement with residents and an intention to prioritize nearby workers and suppliers, while environmental performance, community consultation, water management and lithium-price volatility remain material execution risks.
The next decisive phase is physical: complete drilling, analyze brine chemistry and define whether recoverable concentrations justify feasibility work. A target of starting production around 2029 remains contingent on those results and subsequent approvals. Until then, the transaction represents strategic access to prospective ground rather than a confirmed lithium supply.
