Why Chile’s Lithium Mining Is At A Crossroad
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 พ.ค. 2024
- Chile contains some of the largest and highest quality lithium brine resources in the world. This soft, white metal is integral to lithium-ion batteries, which power electric vehicles. And with demand for EVs booming, Chile’s vast salt flats have become a vital national resource. Now, the Chilean President Gabriel Boric has released its long-awaited national lithium policy, which requires private companies to partner with the state to further develop the country’s lithium resources, ushering in a new era for the industry. There are two main producers of lithium in Chile, SQM and Albemarle. CNBC visited the Atacama Desert in Chile to see Albemarle’s lithium mine and processing plant to see what is next for the world’s largest lithium producer.
Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
03:04 - History of lithium in Chile
07:15 - Politics of mining
12:27 - Opposition and concerns
17:34 - What’s next
Produced, Shot and Narration by: Katie Brigham
Supervising Producer: Jeniece Pettitt
Edited by: Amy Marino
Additional Camera: Shawn Baldwin
Animation: Christina Locopo
Translation: David Calderón, Beatriz Bajuelos Castillo
Senior Production Manager: Kathy Mavrikakis
Additional Footage: Getty Images, Albemarle, Archive.org, Government of Chile
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Why Chile’s Lithium Mining Is At A Crossroad
![[Vowel]물고기는 물에서 살아야 해🐟🤣Fish have to live in the water #funny](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3G9MH063Cx4/mqdefault.jpg)
It makes no sense that one commentator suggested that Chile should wait until it had more electric vehicles before making batteries. It should prioritize that part of the supply chain now to get an advantage before others take the lead.
Go Chile!
That's right, that guy popping out of nowhere was weird. Makes no sense to wait that there are more electric cars in Chile if you want more electric cars there in the first place. Besides you can export batteries which I suppose Mr President of Global Lithium doesn't wants to. Developed countries want to keep on buying cheap raw materials from developing countries and then sell them back finished products.
Aguante Chile desde Mexico.
You think those pretty lithium lakes are clean 🤣🤣🤣🤣.
@@chiquita683 extremely salty water vs petroleum. salty water for the win.
@@ab3000x I can't evacuate from a hurricane with a RC car that needs battery charging and batteries that can't get wet. DUH
@@BangBangBang. but you'll do fine in a modern EV! Have a great day!!! :^)
As a Chilean citizen it is possible to observe a new great opportunity and the beginning of another mining cycle, which has defined our economy forever, from saltpeter, through copper and now lithium. I only hope that we can find the balance between ecology and a fair international policy (economy), which is where we citizens are affected.
lithium battery technology will be thoroughly replaced in less than 10 years
Lithium prices skyrocketed with demand for EV batteries and has now returned to pre 2020 prices with the advent of Sodium ion batteries beginning mass production by CATL at what will be half the cost of Lithium batteries possibly less when other companies ramp up. Lithium isn't forecast to crash, but demand and price could well decline much further in a few years.
i don't think it works to have these companies care about your ecology or even people when they don't live there. you can see the lady laugh inside when she says 600million in total paid for all the billions they've made and how when they aren't they will walk away and go home leaving generations a mess and poverty. how many times does this have to play out? the only way it can work is if the people on the land own it and work it.
@@dieglhix We Lived that With the saltpeter, it Last for a few years like 90 years a go, but then they discovered the cupper in the same land. The amount of minerals here is huge
@@iainwares6361 You right, now is the moment to act, I just hope that our goverment be smart
I mean that’s always been the story latin america is “not ready” to move towards downstream activities and never will according to them, but downstream and added value manufacturing transitioning from raw materials to production has been what has developed countries like japan, korea, and now china.
Meanwhile, western countries don’t have upstream, down stream or any manufacturing except weapons. We do food delivery and warehouse pick and pack.
@@TheBooban only American can, and maybe the rest of the west is to resources poor
Now it makes more sense what Boric is doing.
It´s clear how developed nations still see LATAM as a dispensary. Just go an collect whats needed to keep developing their industries.
That game is over.
@@sergioa5173 That's what China used to think with Mao's anti colonialist bs. Then they discovered capitalism and now produce 90 pc of the world's rare earth metals
@@sergioa5173 Yes and they are like we want to extract your resources without paying too much taxes.
I'm from Australia and refining Lithium is such a polluting exercise, I'm not sure any country does it properly just yet. Caution on going grand scale as what you end up paying may be much more than what the country receives.
Chinese also a big buyer of Australian Lithium, they wants to buy it more greener, of course, Chile polluting, but that has happen if your country don't have that much of income.
Lithium brine is literally toxic waste and it's already there in vast quantities. Unlike mining lithium from rock, they're actually making these deserts less toxic.
@@dansands8140
I think you'll find that's not the case
How dare you !!!!! From New Zealand
It's okay.. don't worry. It's the liberalism and progressive agenda. Just consider the pollution as a blessing. Embrace it with full of denialism.
Good for Chile. Make those companies pay but reinvest in real infrastructure, schools, hospitals, whatever the people need.
What a stupid socialist comment
Don't give them ideas
Don't make this countries just like Saudi Emirates 😡
They always do that. They always pay off the locals.
It's all about Greed & Corruption. If the right 'special interests', environmental activists and politicians are paid-off, China will take over the entire show.💰💰💰
@@donaldkasper8346 They always pay off the local officials. That’s the problem with these countries that are stricken by the resource curse. That money almost never finds its way into the pockets of the surrounding population. Rather than reinvest it, a class of people friendly with the regime grows fat and wealthy from graft and the money ends up getting spent outside of the country’s borders
Sure, Argentina might take over as the world's 2nd producer, but at the cost of practically giving it away. Why, do you ask? Because money will go to the pockets of politicians, and not the Argentinian people. It has always worked that way, and it sill works the same way.
Chile is making sure that the profits stay in the country, and minimizing the impact on the surrounding ecosystem.
The problem is, why would a company make all the investments, take all the risks but without control of the company or profits, that could deter companies from even investing. But also the problem is that they HAVE to get started!! The technology of batteries are quickly advancing, they're already testing batteries that use salt and sand or sodium and sulfur.
@@JayForsure Chile assumes a lot of risk as well. Environmental degradation and other externalities will be imposed on the Chilean people, it's the right thing to do for Chile to take a fair share of the profits. Also, if you're saying that lithium won't last forever, that's a stronger reason to not grow it too much and depend on it too much, you want to avoid the Dutch disease. If Chile becomes too reliant on the rents of lithium, then they will be devastated when the price falls.
But hey, as long as line-goes-up, right?
@@bikesarebest Well environmental/other external issues like safety of workers are solved by rules and regulations. That's what politicians do without taking an actual stake or a percentage in the companies. Imagine if a German producer of bread wanted to set up his company in the US, the government has FDA rules that, that company has to follow, but you don't see the government or the FDA take a percentage of the company lol. Also, my point was that they should take advantage of such high lithium prices and have them invest very little and have other companies invest a lot and start producing as much as they can BEFORE prices fall.
You nailed it!
The reporter said thay they didn't see any electric vehicles, but they didn't look for busses. Because Chile has the largest electric buses fleet in the region, more than three times the number of USA
You are wrong
@@Ligmajohnson1989 explain
You say 3 times as many as US as if the US has millions of them
I wanted to say that Chile has 3 times more than the US,
He meant to say per capita. An indication , perhaps , that BYD is at task there. America bias at its best.
Hopefully Chile will have an efficient mixed state owned private industry that can satisfy growing demand, and also increasing chile's tax coffers. Really beautiful country, one of the best in the nation. Best regards from Pumalal, Chile.
...It's all about Greed & Corruption. If the right 'special interests', environmental activists and politicians are paid-off, China will take over the entire show.💰💰
You mean socialism? No gracias desde Puerto Montt.
@@Brommear funciono con el cobre jajaja
Chile has so many crucial minerals! Just hope that these resources can lead Chilean to a better life, they should own the major part of profit from it
Sure. They can develop all the tech and build everything for themselves and have all the money from the mines. Just a few trillion in tech investment and chemical engineering should do it.
It's a private business
Your idea is good, who do you think is responsible for a good building and a free building that benefits people
Since the start of the dictatorship of Pinochet, our resoucers were forcefully put in the hands of mostly ango american big companies. The gringa in this video complains that they pay too much tax ha ha... How they miss the good ol pinochet days for stealing from us.
@@deanhend1235 the US already did their “peace” job in Chile in 1973 😅
i think its great when a main source of income from a certain industry in any country pays its taxes with little to no fraud or corruption its the best way to modernize a nation
The US Department of Energy estimates that electric vehicles emit 60% less carbon pollution than gasoline-powered cars. The UN says lithium production will be vital in helping wean the world off fossil fuels and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 7:30 [World Economic Forum]
@@GjaP_242 Many solutions are needed to help this come to pass. If we can get decent storage for grid storage that's not lithium based, because it doesn't really need to be, then that will help alleviate a little of the demand and pressure to mine lithium. The piece also talked about recycling batteries as well, so if that comes to pass and ramps up, that would help as well.
I just hope that lithium allows Chile to get out of underdevelopment and that the opportunities that this country deserves are created.
We are tired of only a few families living like Europeans or North Americans, decades ago we should have done something with copper and it was not done. I hope that this time lithium will add value.
our rulers and legislators have made this country the cradle of political favors and have forgotten the people who for generations have expected radical changes in Chile
Chile is the best place to retrieve lithium.
-The Ofori-Atta Family
Chile needs to do whatever it needs to develop its own economy, for the good of the Chilean people. Its funny to see foreigners suggesting that Chile should not develop its own industries, its like a drug trafficker saying that you should not quit drugs because it will be bad for you, their lies are so funny.
Go Chile! Pursue your own destiny!
As someone who lives in the area where the lithium is extracted. We dont want the lithium to be exploited no more. The aninals are dying brcaise of lack of water, the people somwtimes dont have water to shower , wash dishes and other day by day needs. The place is anatural beauty and the mining is destroying it!
Seems like they are looking out for the people over corporations. In that i'm all for it.
I for one welcome the re-emergence of the Southern Cone. Hopefully they don't get CIA-Pinochet'd again.
It’s not how you think it is, and btw, i veer to the left
Chile should join Mercosur and protect/industrialize its resources, together these countries would have a large portion of the World's main commodities.
@@guruxara7994 Mercosur is a joke. Even our most self respecting left leaders know that. Chile stays out of that circus as much as possible.
@@ilovesheryterry Chile is still in a circus, the difference is that they are the animals, not the owners.
@@guruxara7994 do you really believe in the Mercosur? 😂 and that they're better of in Argentina or Brazil than us here?
Excelent report. Interesting and well informed.
Well done!
Saludos de Chile 🇨🇱
This video came at a great time. I just put 25k into ALB because I think it is oversold. They seemed to be positioned extremely well to handle EV demand for the US and other countries
Memo: The price crashed no one wants EV's.
The incompetent laziness of these companies who choose to deliberately utilise 19th century technology is astounding. With a bit of care and decency the clean water from the extraction process can easily be returned to farmers and the environment.
To do it properly is actually cheaper long term. The just refuse to lay the up front cost.
Stand strong Chile.
Yes, but there's no arbitrage to be made and it ties up the investment into the Chilean people instead of the company. It ain't laziness.
How do you capture the water being evaporated over many acres of pond?
There is NO way of knowing the harmful effects of these mines. I would say these areas are destroyed forever. It’s ridiculous how we expect to be able to destroy other places but not allow energy creation in the United States of America. This is a worse option than petroleum. These mines are functioning with petroleum power.
Congratulations for your excellent analysis on Chile`s lithium mining resources, related with the EVs booming industry.
Annual lithium demand is projected to reach roughly 1.5 million metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent by 2025 and over 3 million tons by 2030. Global X ETFs
But a 2022 analysis by the McKinsey Battery Insights team projects that the entire lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery chain, from mining through recycling, could grow by over 30 percent annually from 2022 to 2030, when it would reach a value of more than $400 billion and a market size of 4.7 TWh. [Global X ETFs; McKinsey] 12:34
@@GjaP_242 you think ppl will have money to buy those electric cars? 🤔
Xi Jinping Views Top EV-Battery Maker CATL With ‘Joy and Worry’ 1:23 [Bloomberg]
China weighs extending EV tax break beyond 2023 [Nikkei Asia] 1:23
The China Dragon Roars Back Whether the US Likes It or Not 1:23 [Scheerpost]
Making downstream products like batteries etc in Chile makes sense from their perspective. Chile has an advantage in reserves (as well as Nickel and Copper... almost all the battery metals). It should abuse that advantage as much as possible to grow jobs in the country. Aim for jobs, not money at this stage.
I think nationalizations and public companies will feed corruption in the rest of the government and build a state that doesn't rely on its citizens for tax revenues but instead on an export oriented industry. This is what happens to petro states and is terrible for the citizens, like in Venezuela.
As Chilean, I believe that if we don't take the opportunity, others will and the question that is, if not this, then what have Chile to offer to keep its living standards? Hardly anything other than minerals, we got to use them to empower other industries, but with so much talk and less action, I loose hopes here😅
These pieces are truly great, good to have added here.
Always and everywhere the government has control on resources and the governments are on driving seat which drive the industries to flourishes or to fail. The government are good partners on every business even when they do not invest any capital. The government will get royalties and will get taxes. So Chile partnership on developing Lithium industry is business as usual, and the private investors or government investors who like the partnership must know the terms of partnership.
Looks Chile is open for business as usual but private investors are not ready to accept deals, and this give a big opportunity for other competitor countries who compete to benefit from these type of partnering.
the real problem is that the goverment wants 51% of the stakes of any company involved in the extraction of lithium, that and the taxes makes over 70% of the profits for the goverment that wont invest anything in the bussines
Is that why China is becoming the next superpower? Neoliberalism failed. It's time to move on.
@@Aphores This is not problem for private investors, they are free to invest their money on other projects where they make profit more. The free trade is free trade. Then Chilean government and their peoples will develop their reserves with their capital or with other partners. The free market based on business as usual is open.
Everyone is trying to loot is all I learned in this video
EXACTLY
As Sodium-ion battery technology advances, it might take some of the pressure off Li resources and prevent some of the ecological damage mining it will cause. Iron-air batteries might do the same for grid scale, stationary battery applications to even out wind and solar green energy sources.
The environmental criticism makes zero sense. Water evaporation is a completely natural process and cleans the water. In this video they had no evidence of any damage.
Why does the grid need batteries, just run most of the grid off nuclear. Use batteries for vehicles and home storage
@@TheBoobanIt uses ground water dumbo. There will be scarcity of drinking water because of low water levels and polluted water.
@@hs5312 Not every one and their grandma has access to nuclear tech.
@@noobasaurus11 the companies that run the power grid have access to nuclear tech. I said run the grid off nuclear. WTF were you reading
It’s not nationalization but a strong effort of protecting your resources instead of losing control and sell out to companies. That region of Chile has important natural resources that are at risk should development and mining expand.
"We didn't see a single electric car when we're there"
To be fair, Chile several electric buses on its public transport system.
They need to move to "ultrafiltration" like in Reversed Osmosis.
Bring the water up, filter out then
salts and then pump it back down.
Well done and accurated information, 👍
Mientras China apuesta por dar valor agregado desde Chile otros esperan simplemente llevárselo como ha sido con el cobre, si esa lógica no cambia China tiene todas las de ganar y no solo en Latinoamerica.
PD: No, no vote por este gobierno de aprendices (Boric) pero con respecto a la matriz productiva y exportadora es necesario avanzar.
I think we're already too late. And wait for the endless discussions to come. In a short time lithium will be less important, and maybe replaced with sodium batteries.
This is very unlikely, because even if Sodium makes its way up the latter, it will have a hard time to crack the Notebook computer and mobile phone market and in spite of wording inside the Video, these 2 applications together still outweigh Cars in global Lithium consumption. Not to speak about high end BEV applications who will stick to Lithium for longer regardless of lower cost alternatives until these leave their drawbacks behind.
Bit ironic that the companies are actually giving the local communities tons of money and its still ruining them.
Not good enough. The companies could be giving all their money to the communities that do the work and who it belongs to.
Venezuela tried that.
11:21 to 11:25 "The U.S. has determined that it needs to have domestic battery..." take that out of context lol.
I don't understand what the guy from Arteaga says when he says ".. that's not the way people used to do business". Half the economy of China is predicated on this principle. Is he saying China has been unsuccessful in wrangling multinational companies?? Good god.
I think he is talking about Europeans.
"think of the poor businesses :("
Are you saying Apple invests with Beijing? I don’t think so. Please clarify.
Better batteries are being developed as we speak. Lithium will be looked back on as a temporary bridge allowing developement of other necessary aspects like more efficient motors, expanding markets and production methods etc.
Not sure about this, Li has the highest electronegativity on table, Li will always be the technology to defeat. Its like saying hydrocarbons are out of game for energy.
Even in the coming solid state batteries and other newer high capacity batteries still use Lithium. Sure sodium batteries are a thing, but a sodium battery will always have a lower energy density than a lithium battery of similar type.
Chile has nickel and the demand for nickel will only increase. The demand for lithium may not be what many "experts" believed it would be only a few years ago. The brine also has tremendous amounts of sodium (and bromine/bromide) and it too can be used in batteries. Sodium isn't worth very much compared to lithium because it is very common but as the demand for lithium goes down in the future (recycled batteries and new battery tech) and the demand for sodium goes up so will the price.
I expect that we will also have sodium ion batteries in the future. Sodium ion batteries have lower energy density but they are a lot cheaper to make once you devolp them in large quantities. So in application were you have more space for example as energy storage for rooftop solar they are preferable, as they are also saver in case of a failure.
@@Ninjaeule97 The first Sodium Ion battery equipped vehicles have already been made. I don't think any have been sold to the public yet.
Chile is one of the countries with the largest amount of "rare earths" in the world, which is why they are afraid that Chile will develop its own technology industry.
Best to take it slow and don’t give into greedy corporations who just mess everything up.
Extracting the lithium and putting the rest of the brine back underground seems like a great idea from an ecological perspective, especially if no fresh water is consumed in the process. Lithium is the smallest lightest charge carrying ion. It's always going to be in demand. The world will want all the lithium Chile can produce. They do not need to worry about not having a market. The price may not be quite so high once other production starts up though. Other battery technologies will take over grid batteries but planes and most cars will want lithium.
Chile es el mejor país de Chile 🇨🇱
Amazing. Thank you.
Systematic Procrastination 🆚 The Flexible Capacitor 👁🗨 19:20
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 go Chile 🇨🇱
Afghanistan reportedly sits on an estimated $1 trillion worth of rare earth minerals, including huge deposits of lithium. The Islamist rulers have banned the extraction and sale of lithium since reclaiming power in Afghanistan in August 2021 after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. 1:29 [The New Indian]
Chile is the second largest producer of lithium and holds the world's third largest reserves of the metal. Demand for lithium is expected to soar amid the transition to renewable energy around the world and the growth in electric vehicles that are powered by lithium batteries. 18:00 [CNBC]
Wouldn't there be a good argument made that taking the Salt water from under the earth and having Fresh water Evaporate into the air would actually increase the chances they might get some rain outside the salt flats when the water cools off over greener pastures?
If it was that simple, it would be done everywhere. There's so many factors in meteorology and control over it something humans don't have now.
All it takes are winds to blow the clouds elsewhere, and the groundwater is now less plentiful and brinier. Again, complex systems.
@@shapshooter7769 rising tides lift all shift
Or they could build domes over the evaporation ponds to collect condensed freshwater.
People need to remember that ground water doesnt just magically appear, when underground resources are drained the surfacewater is reduced as it refills the aquafers.
Proper made Li batteries are to be sold everywhere these days, the fabrication process might be bought, professionals to handle the production are plenty on the country.
You probably just need a handful of engineers to understand the basic chemical process and the process of producing large scale, high quality Li ion baterries.
Politics and decisions are another stuff..
Saludos desde
Santiago de Chile
🇨🇱😎👍
What is surprising is that those politicians that only see dollar signs say that the supply of Lithium in Chile is "Limitless". There will come a day when the Land will become totally barren and no more Lithium will be available for mining but the politicians don't care and only want to push their agenda.
They can push all they want, I'm not buying an ev. Lol
The Atacama is pretty barren without lithium mining anyway.
No matter how batteries of the future are made they will power electric motors and thats a key advantage. Because and movement of electrons from batteries will be able to turn the motor and will then not be 100% reliant on ine one batter technology. Plus metal are recyclable where its Impossible to recycle furl once it has been burned in an ICE vehicle.
We need to use the new technology that's Ben made and under testing with great success.
This one is about to not be testing but working for real this year it uses 98% less land and gets 10 to 20 times more lithium in 3 to 5 months rather then 18 to 24 months.
Fake news.
Very well done, & very informative. Thank you.
It's AWESOME that a government can RESPECT THE ENVIRONMENT. 75k cars is AMAZING for EV's. ALL of this mining for precious metals cost the Earth so much worse than Gas. Renewables should only be Nuclear Reactors. That would reduce needs for 89%. That's good enough to reduce emissions
75k cars is slightly less than what Tesla produces in 2 months.
All the indigenous in Atacama with money they accept the mining, don’t tell me they are against the miners, if they got money from that, they are happy and forget about the ecology or water for farming
Excellent documentary!
Propaganda. No talk of the climate and environmental impact of those lithium pools
Quisiera darle las gracias por este interesante video !.
Among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Chile is one of the most unequal countries. It is estimated that the richest 1% captures 17% of the total tax revenue, while the wealthiest 10% receives over 50% of all income. Private companies are stealing our resources and making a profit from them. They will use all means of pressure they know, from political instability to financial bullying.
th-cam.com/video/elSBMWpGPww/w-d-xo.html
They always find 1 or 2 indigenous people to say that there are communities living in the middle of the desert and that they won't be able to love because a project like this
If the lithium producers were to install a reverse-osmosis system to treat the raw brine, perhaps it could be worth t in letting them provide pure water to the local communities, and send the super-concentrated brine to evaporation pans where production cycles would be shortened.
I had the same thought, with boiling and steam recondensation. Wonder what technical problems I am missing...
I guess you are missing nothing, it's just cheaper to flood an area probably.
There are technical solutions (osmosis, thermal distillation), for the problem of water loss by evaporation and that is the great environmental barrier to open new tenders or approve the expansion of existing ones. But the industry is stagnant due to a political problem and we all know that all Chileans will be the most affected by their decisions.
@@javierRC82857 Postulating that ALL Chileans will be affected by [x] policy... is something of a stretch. Even a policy which proclaimed that every male child must be put to death, the Bible tells, failed.
Where can I translate this? I need to show this to my family and friends
Thanks
Let us take it to the ball court ⚽️ 🏀 🏈.
The winner 🥇 gets their way.
The looser gets to keep the head of the winner as a consolation.
~Q'uq'kumatz
I laughed out loud when she said that more research is needed. "More research is needed...", "It's an open question..." was also said by the tobacco, oil, and sugar industries.
If they are evaporating the water from the highly saline solution using the energy of the sun, why aren't they powering the pumps with solar panels?
Solar panel cost money, the sun does not.
@@izaakbrummitt1992 they are pumping water, probably with a diesel generator during the day. Might as well use solar panels instead so they don't have to pay for fuel.
I'm sure they might do that. These systems are pretty old already. Maybe they start using them now since it got so cheap now. + You need a lot of energy to activate the lithium in the brine. They will use solar cells for that in the future as well I'm sure.
A 20 horsepower pump that would be a small diesel trailer would be replaced by a solar powered pump that would require something like 2300 square feet of solar panels.
@@pepperonish no idea what square feet are( I use metric) but it seems to me like they got the place for it. Look at those huge water basins.
Good for Chile !
chile is on hot demand again
Boric's position seems very clear and forward looking, famously backwards Chilean companies and analysts may simply not understand it.
When has Latin America ever been forward-thinking?
Chile needs to accelerate this process as much as it can. The window will be short this time.
Lithium is a chemical element and key component of electric vehicle (EV) batteries that's also known by another name: “white gold.” That's because in a future powered by batteries, from our electric cars to our smartphones, lithium is quickly becoming the most valuable commodity on the planet.
Lithium is integral to the realization of decarbonization goals and the sustainable future that is being built around the world. Already omnipresent in consumer electronics, lithium-ion batteries are powering electric vehicles and being used as energy storage for renewables. 2:34 [EnergyX; Popular Mechanics]
Why not nationalize it? Why go through some corporate middleman like a mining company, especially a foreign one? It’s inefficient. A state institution could undercut and sell it much cheaper than these mining companies could to other foreign states or corporations that need lithium. At the same time making more money than the current dynamic by having the entire pie instead of the tiny percentages the mining companies want to give you.
Then America will instigate another coup!
Problem is not more e cars. The problem is politicians that want a big slide of money. No agreement, no investments authorized. Sadly chilean politicians see the small picture.
4:13 extraction process
Excellent report.
Is all the mining battery powered?
Takes time to switch over that tech. The iron age was built with stone and bronze too.
La decisión es de ustedes gringos, Chile no necesita tener un parque automotriz eléctrico para garantizar un mercado interno de baterías de litio porque ese mercado interno lo absorbe con creces la industria minera del cobre.
Si ustedes construyen una planta de fabricación de baterías de litio en Chile ganamos todos. Si ustedes siguen con su mentalidad de impedir el desarrollo industrial y tecnológico en Chile lo harán los chinos y Chile ganará igual pero ustedes llorarán.
is this CNBC or Vox?
I believe I recognize her voice from there? 😅
it's not her, but it kinda sounds like her
Amazing documentary
That's cool that the Chilean people seem like they are better off just chilling in their sunshine than making a bunch of money off of mines. There is probably fierce demand for that land from large businesses so I'm sure they will try to influence the situation however they can to make money out there. One thing I would be concerned about is the urban populations a lot of mines will create based on unsustainable resource extraction practices, you got to take care of that additional population after the mines dry out may be better in the long run to just go slowly with it. I wonder how bad their problems are with poverty and homelessness now, like do they actually need the tax money to immediately fix that? I was waiting for the journalist to interview someone who represents the ghetto about it
the problems is: the pubic companies here in Chile are highly inefficient. CODELCO tis the main copper mining company dependent from the government of Chile was created after Salvador Allende nationalized the copper mines in the 70's, now is highly in debt due to bad business practices, they sold hundred of thousands of tons of coper to China for 10 years at a price of 1.5 dollars when the market prices was of 3 dollars. this year CODELCO decreased the amount that contributed to the Chilean government to a mere 2 B of dollars a year, while one of the smaller America mining companies working in Chile paid 6B dollars in taxes and royalties. all public companies in Chile are highly inefficient, unions are really important and they get rich bonuses even if the company is lost money, a lot of his directors of this companies are in the position just because they are collaborators of the party that the president belongs, the corruption is HIG!. nothing comparted with developed countries. as an example, the indigenous communities never had a voice in the implementation of this new plan by the government, the politician talk to gain the votes, the company that produces most pollution in the country is a public one: CODELCO nobody can sue them because they are from the government.
So weird that they used diesel engines to power the pumps, why don’t they use batteries? Lithium batteries charged with all that sun…
So the sun bakes that water contained with harmful metals. Right into the atmosphere from all humans and animals to breathe. Good job, sounds sooo green and clean. Farce
It's ironic how people complain about wars being fought over oil, and now it is looking like wars will be fought over lithium and cobalt and... ????
Resign hake
Argentina's lithium deposits are immense.
"The price is sky rocketing" Said MR Wir Wilson after a 60% price drop in 5 months
There is no “life changing” opportunity with lithium for Chile. Sure, it’s an exploitable resource but all we can expect from it are taxes low enough for us to be competitive with the large list of countries producing lithium.
As I write this lithium has become older technology regarding state of the art technology in batteries. All that’s left is the spawn of time in which “non electric” western car companies still use lithium before they can transition to sodium batteries (China has the lead here).
Greetings from Chile.
Make one about cobalt please ^^
Big, Oil use cobalt in gas refeinery
Can't we do this through the discharge of Brine from Desal Plants?
Good report
America has a lot of Lithium which can be mined. The Lithium deal with Chile has to do with intellectual property law throughout South America.
Most people don’t know that U.S. foreign aid has strings attached. Any country that wants money from America has to sign the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and enforce it by arresting people who make copies of movies or songs; or any other violations. The American taxpayer is being used to purchase foreign governments, on behalf of private interests.
Apple, Sony, and the Federal government are the beneficiaries of copyright law. Not the taxpayers. They get screwed twice. They pay to create copyright law, and then they pay for permission to view copyrighted movies. It’s a great hustle.
SQM is a company I'd had planned to invest in the future but I didn't know about the other company Albemarle. I had plans to move to Chile but my plans changed.
Let me clarify things a bit about SQM:
At its founding (1968), this 'private company' was created as a 'Mixed Mining Company' between individuals and the State of Chile (in other words, it was a state company after all) under the government of Don Eduardo Frei Montalva. It was conceived for the exploitation, processing and commercialization of potassium nitrate and specialty fertilizers such as iodine, potassium and lithium. In mid-1983, in the midst of the dictatorship, the company began its privatization (because according to them, it was not profitable for the country) which materialized in 1988 being 'sold' (given almost as a gift) to Pinochet's then son-in-law, Julio Ponce Lerou.
Unfortunately, over time, SQM has been linked to many judicial problems of a political nature.
It should be noted that the company in the 1st government of Piñera (in mid-2012), took over 100% of the lithium extraction, delivering only 7% of the profits to the state. Of said extraction, it was calculated that it would be close to 100 thousand tons for 20 years, at the end of 2022 it will exceed 140 thousand.
There is still lithium ore left so that the current government, under the creation of a new state company (ENALI - Empresa Nacional Del Litio), can generate profits for the state and that not only private companies take everything that future sales can generate of the ore, either raw or refined... and even, as in batteries (if they come to create a company with private or state contributions, that manufactures them).
Awwww....
Lithium demand skyrocketed with the push of EV being enviromentally friendly.....😅
Chile better get while the getting is good. There’s a good chance that lithium won’t be used in EVs in the future.
I hope they don’t too salty about it
Chile has a lot of copper too.
FYI, Chile doesn't have a Tesla dealer, the electrical infrastructure is not prepared yet so mass vehicle adoption is going to wait.
Does this explain the recent price drop in Albemarle and SQM ?
yes
The main contract expires in 2030. The goverment is taking control in any case, so yes. SQM’s liberty has its days counted.
Se expresa muy bien la señora
Government needs to take royalties, ensure environmental compliance and not be in business. Third World Governments are bureaucrats that are 10% productive and 90% bluster.
Chile has Lithium, But American companies are extracting lithium.😮
That is the problem Chile should not make any deal with usa. Chile won't get any profits, everything goes to usa company and usa government.
85% of the extraction is in possession of the Chilean company SQM while only 15% is on Albemarle, the USA company. And the woman from Albemarle said that in Chile they pay higher taxes than in any other country
That's the thinking that makes a lot of poor countries sit on their prime material and not extract at all, losing the whole market. Extracting materials means tons of spending and a lot of technology that most countries simply don't have.
An important share of our public transportation (Buses) in Santiago are EVs. So it's weird that "you didn't see any EVs" during your visit. Buses are everywhere
I am in Texas USA and have a energy company who wants to lease 87 acres for lithium mining. Imagine that. Can there be lithium in texas?
How many communities has it affected
The workers in the processing must be very, very calm. It would be interesting to compare rates of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia with people not exposed to lithium on a daily basis.