DLE Weekly delivers the latest insights on Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technologies, industry developments, and market trends. Stay tuned to see how DLE is shaping the future of sustainable energy.
DLE Weekly - 25 April 2025
Global Business, BICHEM Group
Chile moves forward with lithium projects in three salt flats
Chile’s government said it is moving forward with a simplified process to award lithium contracts in three salt flats, the mining ministry said on Tuesday.
The agency stated that it has accepted applications from Eramet in the Agua Amarga salt flat; from Eramet, Quiborax, and state-copper giant Codelco, for the Ascotan salt flat; and from the Caliche Kairos consortium for the Coipasa salt flat.
On Tuesday, the mining ministry said that once indigenous consultations in the salt flats and other conditions for the CEOL, a special permit to mine lithium, are established, the contract will be signed if applicants agree.
First Lithium Minerals Receives Encouraging Near Surface Sediment Geochemistry Results at its Salar de Ascotan Project
First Lithium Minerals has announced promising results from a near-surface sediment geochemical survey at its Salar de Ascotan Project in Chile's Antofagasta Region. The 1,775-hectare property, fully owned by the company, is situated in an established lithium, boron, and copper production district.
The survey, conducted over identified geophysical and drill targets, collected 50 samples at depths between 0.5-1.5 meters. Key findings include maximum values of 245 ppm of lithium and 2,420 ppm of boron in the central west section of the project. The analysis, combined with previous Transient Electromagnetic and Magneto-Telluric surveys, suggests favorable characteristics for potential lithium and boron brine mineralization.
The company plans to commence a 1,500 meters drilling program in H2/25, subject to obtaining required permits. The sampling program followed industry standards with proper QA/QC protocols, with analysis conducted by AGS Laboratory in Chile.
Chile regulator greenlights Codelco-SQM lithium joint venture
Chile's competition regulator approved a deal between Codelco, the state-run copper giant, and SQM (SQMA.SN), opens new tab to form a joint venture to expand lithium production in the Atacama salt flats, Codelco said in a statement on Thursday.
The statement said the local FNE regulator's approval joins decisions reached in the European Union, Brazil, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, but approval from China's regulator is still pending.
The joint venture is a key part of President Gabriel Boric's plan to boost state control over the lithium industry and expand production, but has faced pushback from legislators and lawsuits from China's Tianqi, a major investor in SQM.
Despite that, the deal has continued to advance and Thursday's decision cleared a hurdle that could've complicated the joint venture's progress.
Trump signs executive order boosting deep-sea mining industry
President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at boosting the deep-sea mining industry, marking his latest attempt to boost US access to nickel, copper and other critical minerals used widely across the economy.
Parts of the Pacific Ocean and elsewhere are estimated to contain large amounts of potato-shaped rocks known as polymetallic nodules filled with the building blocks for electric vehicles and electronics.More than 1 billion metric tons of those nodules are estimated to be in US waters and filled with manganese, nickel, copper and other critical minerals, according to an administration official.
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