The international mining group Rio Tinto acquired a majority stake in Nemaska Lithium in the Canadian province of Quebec. Following capital investments since March 2025, Rio Tinto now holds 53.9 percent of the shares. The government of Quebec holds the remaining 46.1 percent through its investment company, Investissement Québec.
With its majority stake, Rio Tinto will take over direct operational management. Rio Tinto intends to implement its own processes and standards in the areas of development, operations, and sales. The goal is to establish an integrated lithium business in Quebec. This majority takeover follows Rio Tinto’s acquisition of Arcadium in March 2025, through which it initially acquired 50 percent of Nemaska Lithium.
Nemaska Lithium operates a lithium hydroxide plant in Bécancour and a spodumene mine in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region. By the end of 2025, 60 percent of the construction work at the Bécancour site was complete. According to Rio Tinto, the engineering work is finished. The plant is scheduled to begin operating in 2026. Initial production is expected in 2028. Rio Tinto is currently evaluating the future supply of spodumene for the plant. For this purpose, the Whabouchi mine and the company’s own Galaxy mine are being examined. The review is expected to be finished by the end of the first half of 2026.
The Quebec government plans to invest up to US$200 million in the project. In turn, Rio Tinto plans to invest over US$300 million to expand its lithium business in Quebec in 2026.
