Chile's "Courier" September 16, Chairman of the Chilean National Copper Company (Codelco) Pacheco recently said in the Mining Committee of the House of Representatives that Codelco and the Chilean Chemical Mining Company (SQM) on the state's entry into the Atacama Salt Lake mining negotiations have made progress. SQM has the right to exploit the salt lake until 2030, and the company's board of directors has opened negotiations with Chile's Production Promotion Agency on the terms of the lease contract for the Atacama Salt Lake after 2031, and is negotiating with SQM on the establishment of a public-private partnership to jointly mine lithium after 2031.
According to Pacheco, compared with the Atacama Salt Lake, Chile's second largest lithium salt lake Maricunga Salt Lake situation is not the same, its owners as many as 40, scattered in different regions, Codelco needs to find strategic partners, using capital, technology, experience and other advantages to carry out large-scale lithium projects. Another major salt lake owned by Codelco, Pedernales, started research work as early as 2011, and its lithium concentration is far less than that of Malikunga Salt Lake, and it is uncertain whether it will be mined.
