RSK company secures lithium mining contract in Chile
26 April, 2022 By Thames Menteth
Spain-based environmental consultancy and RSK Group company Amphos 21 has been awarded a contract to develop hydrological studies for a new lithium mine in Chile’s salt flats. Amphos 21 was appointed by Chile’s largest mining company Codelco to assess the feasibility of developing a lithium mining project in Salar de Maricunga.Salar de Maricunga is a white salt flat about 3,700m above sea level in the Nevado Tres Cruces National Park.Lithium is present in the many salt flats across Chile, making the country one of the world's primary producers of lithium. The metal is mainly used in the batteries of electric vehicles and for energy storage systems. Codelco has previously been involved in traditional copper and molybdenum mining. However, lithium's relevance as a strategic resource has increased in recent years. As such, the company has decided to diversify its activities.The first phase of the study will focus on fieldwork. More than 20 members of the Amphos 21 team will be involved. Some will be deployed to the Salar area to gather the information needed to asses the lithium and the feasibility of the mining. The company will carry out borehole drilling, hydraulic tests and evaporation tests over 24 months.Amphos 21 Chile chief executive officer Juan Castaño added: “Amphos 21 will also be responsible for the development of the conceptual and numerical models to describe the hydrogeological functioning of the Salar and the assessment of the lithium reserves.“The outcome of the project will help our client to define the feasibility of the exploitation project from an environmental and economic perspective.”
