After receiving expressions of interest from private parties, indigenous consultations will be carried out in those appropriate places and, finally, a Special Lithium Operation Contract (CEOL) will be delivered.
The Chilean Government reported that starting this Monday, the 15th and for 60 days, a call will be made to national and foreign investors, who have interests in developing lithium exploitation projects in Chilean territory.
In detail, it is a process of expression of interest (RFI, for its acronym in English), where interested parties can access the website of the Ministry of Mining and learn about the bases of the process, where 18% of the salt flats of the country will be available for private bidding.
GOVERNMENT CALLS FOR INVESTORS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE EXPLOITATION OF LITHIUM
Within this initiative, the Atacama and Maricunga salt flats, declared as strategic, are excluded. The same for the Salar de Pedernales and the Grande, Los Infieles, La Isla and Aguilar salt flats, where state companies Codelco and Enami will develop public-private projects.
Also included in the excluded areas are those that have the category of “National Park”, “Natural Monument” and “National Reserve”. Finally, there are “the high Andean salt flats and saline lagoons or geographical spaces within them, which the Council of Ministers for Sustainability and Climate Change has entrusted to the Ministry of the Environment to study in order to gather the necessary background information to determine their protection.” ”, as detailed by the Ministry of Mining.
The presentation of the RFI will be until June 17, and the results will be known on July 9.
After this process, an indigenous consultation will be carried out in the sectors where there is interest and concerns are expressed about possible impacts on territories. Once that stage is completed, the “Special Lithium Operation Contracts” (CEOL) would begin to be delivered.
FEARS DUE TO CONFLICTS WITH MINING PROPERTY HOLDERS
Now, regarding the fears of certain actors about what will happen to the holders of mining properties in salt flats open to bidding, or in those where the Chilean State will have a majority participation, the Minister of Mining, Aurora Williams, pointed out that "what we invite It is precisely for them to indicate if they are going to do a project, if they are available for agreements to be made.”
For his part, the Minister of Finance of Chile, Mario Marcel, stressed that now "a mechanism is being opened that reaffirms that there will be room for everyone to invest in projects that extract a priority mineral to develop a greener economy."
“The private sector will have the leadership and will be able to partner with the public sector in the case of the 26 salt flats that are open to expressing interest,” Marcel added.
Finally, the Minister of Economy, Nicolás Grau, delved into what he highlighted as a “milestone of this Government” that will pass to the mining industry in Chile.
Along these lines, he stated that the foundations are being laid so that, before President Boric's administration ends, between 3 to 5 concessions will have been delivered (CEOL). “I think it is a fundamental element that will exist at that time, is that we were able to develop new lithium projects in salt flats other than the Atacama.”
“Not only will there be very important progress in the aforementioned salt flat as a result of this alliance between Codelco and SQM, but lithium production will also be deployed in other places,” Grau reaffirmed.
