Lithium producer SQM, Chile's Codelco agree to start talks with indigenous group
Chile's State copper company Codelco and lithium producer SQM have agreed to establish a roundtable with indigenous communities amid talks over a possible partnership between the two companies in the Atacama salt flat, Codelco said on Friday.
The announcement, which refers to an "eventual alliance" between the two companies, signals movement in Codelco's efforts to reach an agreement with Santiago-based SQM to form a new state-controlled public-private partnership.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric in April tasked Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, to lead efforts to increase state control over strategic lithium projects as demand grows for the white metal, which is a key component in electric car batteries.
The Council of Atacameno Peoples, made up of 18 Indigenous communities, has been pushing for greater participation in the government's lithium strategy.
The roundtable seeks to ensure "the participation of Indigenous communities with a focus on the protection and sustainability of the Salar de Atacama, within the framework of the eventual alliance between Codelco and SQM," Codelco said in the statement.
Codelco said representatives from the local communities, SQM and Codelco will chart out a framework over the next month for the communities' participation.
Codelco Chairman Maximo Pacheco told Reuters on Thursday that he maintains his prediction that the state company will reach an agreement with miner SQM this year.
Comments
Research Reports
Projects
Latest News
Showroom
Immersive Technologies is the world's largest, proven and tested supplier of simulator training solutions to the global resources industry.
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
