Space Industry and Business News
TECH SPACE
Chile's state-owned mining giant forms lithium extraction alliance
Chile's state-owned mining giant forms lithium extraction alliance
by AFP Staff Writers
Santiago (AFP) Dec 28, 2023

Chile's state-owned Codelco mining company, the world's top copper producer, on Wednesday announced an "unprecedented" alliance with private mining giant SQM, aiming to nearly double lithium extraction in the Atacama desert.

The companies will partner from 2025 to 2060, working in the desert to extract 300,000 tons per year of lithium, used to manufacture electric car batteries, as well as those in cell phones and other electronics.

In 2022, SQM extracted 168,000 tons of lithium there.

"This is an unprecedented milestone in the Chilean mining industry and a concrete advance to achieve fair and sustainable development," Chilean President Gabriel Boric said on national television.

Codelco accounts for about eight percent of the global copper supply while Chile's SQM is a large lithium exploration company.

Chile sees a bright future for itself as part of the global green revolution. The Atacama desert holds one of the world's largest reserves of lithium, a soft metal.

The demand for lithium has grown strongly in recent years as the world seeks to move away from fossil fuels to curb global warming.

In April, Boric's government announced a "national lithium strategy," which would include state control of the entire production cycle of lithium -- of which Chile is the world's second largest producer.

Lithium represented 8.2 percent of total exports of Chile in 2022, with China, South Korea and Japan as the main destinations.

Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TECH SPACE
Studying Combustion and Fire Safety
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 27, 2023
Research on the International Space Station is helping scientists to understand how fire spreads and behaves in different environments and learn how to prevent and extinguish fires in space. Combustion investigations contribute to the safety of crew members, equipment, and spacecraft by guiding selection of spacecraft cabin materials, improving understanding of fire growth, and identifying optimal fire suppression techniques. This research also contributes to fire safet ... read more

TECH SPACE
Studying Combustion and Fire Safety

Chile's state-owned mining giant forms lithium extraction alliance

NASA's Tech Demo Streams First Video From Deep Space via Laser

Mighty MURI brings the heat to test new longwave infrared radiometer

TECH SPACE
HawkEye 360's Pathfinder constellation complete five years of Advanced RF Detection

New antenna offers unprecedented flexibility for military applications

WVU Team Tackles Radio Interference in Astronomy with NSF Funding

Quantum Space launches Sentry to pioneer deep space communications network

TECH SPACE
TECH SPACE
GMV reinforces satellite expertise with new Galileo Operations Center in Madrid

Airbus presents first flight model structure for Galileo Second Generation

Galileo Gen2 satellite production commences at Airbus facility

Galileo Second Generation satellite aces first hardware tests

TECH SPACE
New military-run airline takes off in Mexico

Dutch prepare delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine

Boeing delivers first plane to Chinese airline since 2019

NASA flies drones autonomously for Air Taxi Research

TECH SPACE
ASML chip machines blocked from export to China

Images hidden in noise revealed by a quantum-inspired method

US to gather chips supply chain intel to boost national security

Utility-Scale Quantum Program Advances Toward Prototyping

TECH SPACE
China's civil military dual-use space strategy

ESA forges ahead with Destination Earth

Planet Labs Integrates Planetary Variables into Sentinel Hub for Enhanced Earth Observation

Satellite-based method measures carbon in peat bogs

TECH SPACE
China air pollution worsens in 2023, first time in decade

Fresh Research for Fresh Air: Harnessing microbes for removing indoor pollutants

Canada bids farewell to plastic straws, cutlery and checkout bags

In tiny US community, big questions about chemical recycling

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.