Peru’s Puno Lithium Could Interest German Carmakers, Berlin Official Says
PERU · MINING
Key Facts
- —The country Peru, a nation of about 34 million people, is one of the world’s largest copper producers. Mining is the backbone of its exports.
- —The background Europe’s carmakers need lithium for electric-car batteries, and Germany wants to depend less on single suppliers. Peru has no lithium mine in production yet.
- —Why now Stefan Rouenhoff, a deputy minister in Germany’s economy and energy ministry, visited Lima on 29 and 30 September with 17 German companies. He met several Peruvian ministers.
- —What happened Rouenhoff told the newspaper Gestión that lithium projects in Puno “could be interesting for German carmakers” through direct investment or long-term purchase contracts.
- —The numbers The Falchani lithium project in Puno is estimated to cost US$834 million. Germany’s flagship investment in Peru is the new Lima airport, where Fraport-controlled Lima Airport Partners has invested US$1.6 billion.
- —What it means for you For investors, the signal is interest, not a contract. No German company has announced a stake in Falchani or a supply deal.
- —Still open Whether Falchani obtains its construction permits and financing, and whether any German buyer signs on.
Germany is watching lithium projects in Peru’s Puno region as a possible source for its car industry, a senior Berlin official says. The comments came after a two-day visit to Lima with a business delegation.
Stefan Rouenhoff, a state secretary in Germany’s economy and energy ministry, answered questions in writing from the Lima business newspaper Gestión. “We will definitely follow this project very closely,” he said.
What Berlin said about lithium
Rouenhoff described lithium as an important component for electric mobility. “In the future, it could be interesting for German carmakers through direct investment or long-term purchase contracts,” he told Gestión.
The project he referred to is Falchani, near the town of Macusani in Puno, a high Andean region bordering Bolivia. Its owner, Macusani Yellowcake, has a Canadian parent company.
Gestión reports that the company recently raised its estimated investment to US$834 million. It set the second half of 2028 for its start.
The project does not yet have a permit to build, as The Rio Times reported in September.
Rare earths and technology
In an interview with El Comercio before the trip, Rouenhoff framed minerals as a question of supply chains. “It is in neither Germany’s nor Peru’s interest to depend excessively on certain countries,” he said.
For rare earths, he said, Germany offers advanced technology for exploration, analysis and sensor-assisted extraction. “The same applies to lithium,” he added, pointing to German strength in geophysics, robotics and AI-supported data analysis.
He did not name a rare-earth deposit in Peru. His offer was of German technology and services, not a plan to mine.
A 2014 agreement to revive
Canada signed a memorandum on critical minerals with Peru in March. Rouenhoff told Gestión that Germany does not need a new one, because the two countries have had a raw-materials agreement since 2014.
That agreement gives German companies better access to Peruvian deposits, while Germany supplies mining and water technology. He said it needs “more vitality”, and raised the point with Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines.
The ministry said Minister Guillermo Shinno stressed Peru’s copper potential in the meeting. The two sides discussed raw materials, the energy transition and investment in energy and mining infrastructure.
The bigger German footprint
Germany’s largest stake in Peru is the airport.
Fraport AG, a German company with state shareholders, owns 80% of Lima Airport Partners. That operator has invested US$1.6 billion in building the new Jorge Chávez airport.
Rouenhoff also named Siemens, which supplies automation and signalling for Lima’s metro, and Herrenknecht, which supplied tunnel-boring machines for Line 2. The copper producer Aurubis was part of his 17-company delegation.
Peru’s deputy foreign minister, Eric Anderson, called Germany Peru’s third-largest trading partner in the European Union. It is also Peru’s main source of imports from the bloc.
Rouenhoff praised President Keiko Fujimori’s decision to keep Julio Velarde as central bank governor.
What comes next
Peruvian companies will present the country to investors at an “inPerú” roadshow in Frankfurt in February 2027, Rouenhoff said. A senior German foreign ministry official is due in Lima at the end of November.
None of this amounts to a lithium deal. Interest from a government official does not oblige any carmaker to invest, and Falchani still needs permits and financing.
The direction of travel is clear, though. Europe is looking for lithium outside its usual suppliers, and Peru wants to turn deposits into mines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Peru produce lithium?
Not yet. Peru has lithium deposits, the best known being Falchani in the Puno region, but no lithium mine is in commercial production.
What is the Falchani project?
Falchani is a lithium project near Macusani in Puno, southern Peru, owned by Macusani Yellowcake, which has a Canadian parent. Its estimated investment is US$834 million, and it does not yet have a permit to build.
Has Germany signed a lithium deal with Peru?
No. A German economy ministry official said Puno lithium could interest German carmakers through investment or purchase contracts, but no company has announced a deal.
Who is Stefan Rouenhoff?
He is parliamentary state secretary at Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. He visited Lima on 29 and 30 September 2026 with a delegation of 17 German companies.
Sources: Gestión, interview with Stefan Rouenhoff, 1 October 2026, El Comercio, interview with Stefan Rouenhoff, 29 September 2026, Andina, Foreign Ministry meeting, 30 September 2026, Ministry of Energy and Mines statement via SNMPE Desde Adentro, 30 September 2026. All retrieved 2 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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