{"id":1161771,"date":"2020-01-24T10:58:50","date_gmt":"2020-01-24T16:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/?p=1012129"},"modified":"2020-01-24T10:58:50","modified_gmt":"2020-01-24T16:58:50","slug":"codelco-requests-exploration-permits-for-chiles-second-largest-salt-flat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/?p=1161771","title":{"rendered":"Codelco requests exploration permits for Chile\u2019s second largest salt flat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chile\u2019s state-owned Codelco, the world\u2019s no.1 copper producer, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.codelco.com\/codelco-ingresa-dia-para-iniciar-exploracion-de-litio-en-el-salar-de\/prontus_codelco\/2020-01-24\/113859.html\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">filed with regulators on Friday<\/a> a request for environmental permits to start exploring for lithium at the Maricunga salt flat, the country\u2019s second largest in terms of reserves.<\/p>\n<div class='d-flex justify-content-center d-xs-block d-sm-block d-md-none'>\n<div id='div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0'><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0');});<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The sought licences would allow Codelco to determine concentrations of the battery metal on the 90 square miles (145 sq. km)\u00a0area, estimate the size of the resource and identify necessary next steps.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignright\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>Codelco has for years tried and failed to get into the lithium business, as plans to overhaul its aging copper mines have taken priority.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The Santiago-based company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/codelco-salar-blanco-to-develop-lithium-project-in-chiles-north\/\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">announced last year<\/a> a non-binding agreement with foreign-backed Salar Blanco to explore a joint venture in Maricunga. <\/p>\n<p>Salar Blanco, which has its own holdings on the flat and is<br \/>\npushing forward with final environmental approvals, is 50% owned by Australia\u2019s<br \/>\nLithium Power International, with smaller stakes held by Canada\u2019s Bearing<br \/>\nLithium and local capital.<\/p>\n<p>Codelco has for years tried and failed to get into the lithium business, as <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/codelco-goes-ahead-scaled-back-underground-extension-chuquicamata\/\" >plans to overhaul its aging copper mines<\/a> have taken priority.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, the miner <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/codelco-kicks-off-production-at-el-teniente-expansion-ahead-of-schedule\/\" >kicked off commercial production<\/a>&nbsp;from the $759 million phase one expansion project at El Teniente, the&nbsp;world\u2019s biggest underground copper mine&nbsp;and the sixth largest by reserve size.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/world-top-lithium-reserves-2019-220.jpg\" alt=\"world's top reserves of lithium according to USGS\" class=\"wp-image-1012021\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/world-top-lithium-reserves-2019-220.jpg 956w, https:\/\/www.mining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/world-top-lithium-reserves-2019-220-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/world-top-lithium-reserves-2019-220-768x577.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 956px) 100vw, 956px\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>Chile holds some of the world\u2019s largest reserves of lithium,<br \/>\na key ingredient in batteries for electric vehicles. But the nation\u2019s output<br \/>\nhas barely budged in recent years, as bureaucratic and environmental hurtles<br \/>\nhave stymied development.<\/p>\n<p>The Maricunga salt flat is far smaller than the vast Salar<br \/>\nde Atacama (less than 5% Atacama\u2019s size), where top lithium producers US-based<br \/>\nAlbemarle and Chile\u2019s SQM dominate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Licences would allow the miner to determine concentrations of lithium on the flat, estimate the size of the resource and identify necessary next steps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1016,369],"tags":[43],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161771"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1161771"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1161786,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1161771\/revisions\/1161786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1161771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1161771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1161771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}