Chilean President Gabriel Boric, seeking to expand the country's long-stalled lithium industry, has tasked state-owned Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, to lead the charge of developing the white metal needed for electric vehicle batteries. Chile is already the world's No. 2 producer of lithium after Australia.
By Fabian Cambero SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean President Gabriel Boric, seeking to expand the country's long-stalled lithium industry, has tasked stat.
Lithium, evaporated from brine ponds in Chile s high-altitude salt flats, is coveted by Tesla, BMW and every other global car maker. It is also sought by governments from Berlin to Beijing, that need it to power the shift to renewable energy.
Codelco must kick-start lithium industry while reviving copper output mining.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mining.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SANTIAGO - The surprise exit of Chilean mining firm Codelco's CEO will put the state copper giant in a bind, analysts and insider sources said, even as it tries to revive flagging production of the red metal and make a foray into electric-vehicle mineral lithium. The world's largest copper producer said on Tuesday that chief executive officer André Sougarret would step down by the end of August, only a year after he took the role, citing "complexities" around the business and personal strain.