The day after the government announcement regarding the definitions of the National Lithium Strategy, the Minister of Mining and government authorities held an exclusive press conference for international media.
With the intention of delving into the progress of the implementation of the Lithium Strategy announced by the government, the Minister of Mining, Aurora Williams, the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations (SUBREI), Claudia Sanhueza and the director of InvestChile, Karla Flores, met with foreign press correspondents in Chile. The strategic role of lithium in electromobility and renewable energies has made it a topic of international interest.
According to Minister Aurora Williams, "several countries have declared lithium as a critical mineral, and we are facing a significant demand projected by Cochilco for the year 2035. From this point of view, we have done a work that seeks environmental, social and productive balances". He added that the lithium production strategy is expected to double lithium carbonate equivalent production to a level of up to 500,000 tons by the end of the decade.
Among the definitions taken by the government is the creation of an environmental protection network for 33% of the surface area of the salt deposits. In this respect, Minister Williams pointed out that "lithium is present in fragile ecosystems, therefore we are taking charge of developing, for the first time in Chile, studies of an important magnitude to determine levels of protection. Depending on whether or not there is a susceptibility to affect indigenous communities, the corresponding consultations will be carried out".
In the productive area, business models have been established where the State will have a majority participation in those deposits defined as strategic reserves, such as El Salar de Atacama and Maricunga. In addition, there will be projects led by the state-owned companies Codelco and Enami, facilitating public-private alliances, as well as a model led by private national and foreign investors with whom special lithium operating contracts will be signed. The possibility for private investors to express their interest in the exploitation of this mineral will be open between April and July of this year.
The director of InvestChile, Karla Flores, explained that "last year we made tours with the President to Asia, North America and Europe, promoting the different business models that were established. Now that we have greater certainty for investors, we know which salt flats will be protected, and therefore there is greater clarity as to which ones can demonstrate greater interest". "We have counted 97 companies, from 12 different countries, that have been in conversations with us and requesting information," he added.
For her part, the Undersecretary of SUBREI, Claudia Sanhueza, said that there are different business models, because "this is the strategy that we have identified to comply with our international environmental commitments". She added that these definitions of the National Lithium Strategy have been worked on "in an accelerated manner in recent years, aware of the importance of this mineral for the world, listening to the rest of the world in the spaces we occupy and with the greatest interest in collaborating with their trade policies with environmental interests".
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