BUENOS AIRES, March 14 (Reuters) - An Argentine court in

the northwestern province of Catamarca has suspended the

issuance of new mining permits, demanding fresh environmental

impact studies be carried out looking at local lithium projects,

a judgment seen by Reuters showed.

The ruling involves the Los Patos River-Salar del Hombre

Muerto area, where global lithium giant Arcadium Lithium Plc ( ARLTF )

, formerly Livent, has a project. It comes after

tensions over water use with local communities in the region.

Argentina, inside South America's so-called "lithium

triangle", is one of the world's top producers of the metal that

is key for the batteries needed to power electric vehicles.

A local company spokesperson declined to comment.