Chile Selects Six Areas for Private Lithium Extraction

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Written by Amir Richani for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Chile has announced five salt flats and one lagoon for private lithium investment and development as part of its national lithium strategy. The government has already received the interest of several mining companies to develop these areas.

In October, the government will begin local consultations with indigenous communities for the development of the projects. After that, public tenders will be opened for the areas, and companies will have until December 31 to submit their requests for a production and exploration contract.

The government will consider the companies' experience in any phase of the lithium supply chain and the financial capacity to develop the project as part of these tenders.

The areas included in the first call will be the Salar of Coipasa in the region of Tarapaca, Ollague and Ascotan in the region of Antofagasta, and Piedra Parada, Agua Amarga and Laguna Verde in the region of Atacama.

The government also announced that it will reveal the second group of salt flats open for private development during the last months of the year.

With these areas' development, Chile expects to boost its lithium production by 70% by 2030.

"We currently have 12 potential projects: two from Codelco (Santiago, Chile), four from Enami (Copiapo, Chile) and six that we are presenting for full development by private investors. Looking at this set and the most precise data we have regarding each of them, it will allow Chile to increase its lithium production by more than 70% between now and 2030, and more than double it within the next decade. In terms of the development of the industry, all the necessary steps are being taken to meet the goals that were set within the Fiscal Pact and in the case of lithium, in particular, as part of the National Lithium Strategy that the president announced more than a year ago," said Mario Marcel, minister of economy.

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