Chile wants new operational lithium projects

4th March 2024 Chile wants new operational lithium projects

High level meeting

During the meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Mario Marcel, Chile’s Minister of Finance, has expressed that Chile wants to have three or four new lithium projects operational by 2026.

Currently, there are two producers of lithium in Chile Albemarle Corporation and SQM. The new perspective investors are waiting for the national lithium strategy which considers the salt flats. The strategy is currently under development by Gabriel Boric’s government.

During the meeting, Janet Yellen stated that tight cooperation would benefit both countries, especially on the subject of improved energy security, and achieving key climate goals.

Chile is considered to be the world’s largest producer of copper and the second-largest producer of lithium. Last year it initiated a policy whose main goal is to increase control over strategic metals in the EVs industry.

InvestChile

One of the biggest opportunities for discussion and networking will be the 7th International InvestChile Forum which will take place from the 15-17th of May in Santiago de Chile. The sector-specific workshop will host breakout sessions for foreign investors with projects in strategic sectors for the global green economy: Tech & digital infrastructure, Clean energy storage, Lithium industry, and Infrastructure concessions. The event will seek investors in clean energy storage, tech and digital infrastructure, the lithium industry, and infrastructure concessions. The high-level speakers represent the executives and local authorities among others: Gabriel Boric the President of Chile, @Nicolas Grau the Minister of Economy, Development and Tourism, (Ministerio de Economía, Fomento y Turismo) Karla Flores from InvestChile, Mario Marcel Minister of Finance(Ministry of Finance – Chile), @Aurora Williams Minister of Mining (Ministerio de Minería), José Miguel Benavente from CORFO | Chilean Economic Development Agency, Iván Mlynarz Puig from ENAMI Empresa Nacional de Minería, and William Maloney from Latin America and the Caribbean The World Bank will be the main characters of this Event.

Event details

We encourage all representatives, especially from the lithium industry to participate in this event. All details can be found at the InvestCile official website. Registration is open up to the 15th of March.

Next WMC Congress

World Mining Congress

2026

The 27th World Mining Congress will be organized in 2026 in Peru. Detailed information can be found either on the 27th WMC official webpage or the third circular.

Learn more
27th
Next IOC Meeting

IOC / WMC Meeting

2025

The 106th IOC/WMC meeting will be organized on September 18th 2025 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Learn more
106th

Our news Others news

26th May 2026 The global mining industry is heading to Lima and there is still time to join WMC 2026

World Mining Congress 2026. Soruce WMC 2026 official.

As the Festival of the Sun, Inti Raymi, transforms Peru into a celebration of heritage, energy…

22nd May 2026 Australia’s Rare Earths moment has arrived

Kalgoorlie open-pit mine. Source: Photo by Matthew de Livera on Unsplash

The global race to secure resilient critical minerals supply chains reached another defining moment this week…

19th May 2026 MinRes bets big on lithium’s comeback with Bald Hill restart

Lithium battery. Source: Photo by Vardan Papikyan on Unsplash

After months of recalibrating strategy against a volatile lithium market, Mineral Resources is officially announcing bringing…

15th May 2026 Newmont CEO Natascha Viljoen to join global mining leaders at World Mining Congress 2026 in Lima

Natascha Viljoen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Newmont Corporation. Source: WMC2026

The global mining industry’s attention is turning toward Lima as the World Mining Congress 2026 (WMC…

13th May 2026 Freeport Indonesia resets Grasberg recovery timeline as underground challenges reshape production outlook

Hauling in underground mine. Source: Photo by Munkh-Erdene Eenee on Unsplash

The recovery journey at one of the world’s most important copper operations just became longer,  and…

5th May 2026 Brazil potash secures $63M to advance Autazes project in Brazil

Potash. Source: Jjakob-kohn from unsplash.

In a move that highlights growing investor focus on fertilizer security and resource independence, Brazil Potash…

28th April 2026 CMOC strengthening strategic expansion in South Americ

Ecuador flag. Source Sarah Allegaert on unsplashed.

CMOC Group has just reached an important moment in its global growth strategy, announcing the successful…

24th April 2026 Chile fast-tracks mining permits to unlock $100B+ investment

Chile flag. Photo by Matías Villacura on Unsplash

Chile is taking a decisive step to reignite momentum in its mining sector, announcing plans to…

21st April 2026 World Mining Data 2026 will shape the future of mining

Data is no longer just a by-product of operations, it is the foundation of strategic decision-making…

15th April 2026 Redefining gold exploration as a long-term value engine in Mauritania

Gold bars. Source: Unspalsh.

The mining sector is increasingly redefining exploration as a strategic pillar of long-term value creation rather…