Chilean lithium miner SQM on Thursday received environmental approval to expand its lithium carbonate production plant, the local environmental regulator told Reuters, marking a milestone as the company seeks to boost output of the coveted ultralight battery metal.
The $400-million plant expansion, once complete, would allow the Chinese-backed SQM to eventually produce as much as 180 000 t of lithium carbonate a year from its Atacama salt flat operations in Chile.