There is investor interest in the development of the lithium industry. In our daily interaction we have been able to detach that it has been received as very good news”.
Karla Flores, director of Investchile
The announcement of the National Lithium Strategy in Chile has already aroused the interest of foreign investors, according to the director of InvestChile, Karla Flores, who said that they have already met with more than 46 companies from 12 countries on this issue.
Within the framework of the “Government Reports” program, the head of the service explained that “there is interest from investors in the development of the lithium industry. In our daily interaction we have been able to deduce that it has been received as very good news, given that a clear initial framework is delivered to investors who want to participate in the sector, with a marked emphasis on the socio-environmental sustainability of the development of this industry, which for international companies is very valuable and can be key to your investment decision. Today how lithium is obtained is not something accessory”.
The panel also included the participation of the Minister of Mining, Marcela Hernando, and of the Economy, Nicolás Grau, as well as the Executive Vice President of Corfo, José Miguel Benavente. Flores added that “we have had meetings with companies from 12 countries, which speaks of the clear interest in knowing the opportunities and the regulatory framework.”
He also highlighted that from the meetings with private parties “it is clear that beyond the availability of natural resources and human capital, Chile is an attractive place to invest and develop its operations. In fact, last year we ended with a record figure of more than 22,000 million dollars in investments and in March we already had 46% more than the accumulated amount on the same date last year”.
The interested firms are from Germany, Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Meanwhile, Minister Grau pointed out that he expects the National Lithium and Salt Flats Institute to be created by the end of the year: “The first call to build governance and design has already been made.”
And regarding the possibility that the negotiations with SQM to modify the lease of the Salar de Atacama do not prosper and may even be left for the next administration, he pointed out that “there are very good incentives to resolve this during this government.” Pacheco says that Codelco has met with all the relevant lithium players, including SQM. Benavente, for his part, reported that “a committee of ministers is being formed to look at lithium and salt flats, and part of their job will be to analyze the 30% of salt flats that will be protected and the salt flats that need to be studied.”
