The decision does not call on the companies to scale back or halt their operations, but raises new questions about environmental management at a time when SQM has sought to expand its operations in the Atacama. SQM, the world´s No.
SQM said it sold more than 12.6K metric tons of lithium in the quarter, up 45% from Q1, in line with an annual rate of 70K mt and allowing it to build higher levels of inventory ahead of an expected demand boom.But the company said lithium prices dropped 45% in H1 from the previous year.In today's earnings conference call, SQM executives said the company is working on modifying its environmental compliance plan for operations in the Atacama salt flat after Chile's regulators "We are working on modifications to the compliance plan according to the comments of the environmental court... we are sure we are going to obtain all the necessary approvals of the new plan in the coming months," CEO Ricardo Ramos said. "No additional water or brine will be used for future expansions of lithium," Alejandro Bucher, SQM's VP of environment, technology and community tells the Bucher says SQM plans to extract more lithium from the same amount of pumped brine by using brine earmarked to make potash fertilizer and using lower-grade wells.Chile, the world's second largest producer of lithium, can raise its output through such methods to 300K metric tons of lithium carbonate-equivalent from its current capacity of just over 100K mt, Bucher says.The company's expansion plan risks damaging the delicate balance between freshwater and brine water resources in the Atacama, opponents say.
2 producer of battery metal lithium, is seeking to expand the production capacity of its Chile operations to meet an expected … SQM develops and produces diverse products for several industries essential for human progress, such as health, nutrition, renewable energy and technology through innovation and technological development. WATER WOES. Consequently, SQM is continuously implementing new processes, the most advanced technologies and the most innovative solutions to maximize the available resources, with sustainable and efficient operations. SQM (SQM +1.3%) is seeking to ramp up lithium production despite environmental concerns, and says Chile could more than triple its lithium output by improving the efficiency of … The process does not immediately affect SQM's ability to operate on the flat but is another headache for the miner, which is seeking to expand its operations at Atacama. Water continues to be a major sticking point for the plans of both SQM and Albemarle to boost output of lithium from the salt flats of the Atacama, the world’s … For SQM, the natural heir of this great industry, natural resources are essential to provide the best products and services to its customers. SQM is a global company that is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Santiago Stock Exchange (NYSE: SQM; Santiago Stock Exchange: SQM-B, SQM-A). We aim to maintain our … In today's earnings conference call, SQM executives said the company is working on modifying its environmental compliance plan for operations in the … SQM said it sold more than 12,600 tonnes of lithium in April through June, up 45% from the first three months of the year.
Its Chile operations continued to churn out the white metal even as the coronavirus pandemic hits its peak in the South American nation, the company said. SQM said it sold more than 12,600 tonnes of lithium in April through June, up 45% from the first three months of the year.