Chilean Officials Promote Investments in Lithium Sector

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Written by Amir Richani for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Chile's president and minister of mines are traveling abroad to promote investments in lithium as Chile seeks to develop its industry further.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric traveled to Germany this week to meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other officials to strengthen political and economic ties and further develop its lithium industry.

The heads of state focused particularly on renewable energy, with Boric promoting Chile's investment opportunities in lithium and green hydrogen.

Last year, the South American nation announced its new national lithium strategy, which seeks to incorporate state companies in lithium activities through public-private partnerships in some of the country's salt flats. Likewise, the strategy contemplates private companies' lithium extraction in certain areas of the country.

The new policy also includes developing a lithium-related supply chain in Chile. During Boric's visit to Berlin, the President announced cooperation with the Helmholtz Research Institute to "allow us to promote innovation and scientific research in lithium batteries, green hydrogen, and the development of sustainable fuels."

In Munich, Boric met with Bavaria's President Markus Soeder to also promote investment opportunities in Chile's renewable energy sector, including lithium and green hydrogen.

From this trip, it is clear that Boric aims to attract more investments to his nation's lithium industry. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Chile is the world's second-largest lithium producer and contains the third-largest lithium resources.

On the other side of the globe, Minister of Mines Aurora Williams is traveling to South Korea and Japan to promote investments in Chile's lithium industry and cooperation for sustainable mining.

"Chile has a great opportunity by having the largest reserves of copper and lithium, with 19% and 34%, respectively. As a country, we are taking concrete steps to develop the lithium industry with a balanced strategy, where we have placed public-private collaboration at the center for the development of all lithium projects in the country, and at the same time, we have proposed to do so with a social and environmental balance," said Williams, according to a statement from the ministry.

Williams's visit to the Asian countries will include attending forums and meetings with lithium battery manufacturers, and mining companies.

For Chile, lithium and copper are increasingly becoming not only resources to leverage economic opportunities and development, but also mechanisms for diplomacy and power.

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