The current director of Sernageomin and who was the previous director of CCHEN. said this in an
interview published today. Q: There are inscriptions that are pre 78, post 78 and some have to do with lithium being classified as a strategic material for the Nation. The permissions are different. Can you explain it to us? Detail?
A: There is a milestone that is 78, which is when the mining code is established, it is brought in, it is from the State, and it is a strategic element, because it is an element that could be used for nuclear fusion, a technology that is still in development that It has not yet been 100% implemented; but for that reason it is declared strategic and non-concessible, and is treated similarly to oil.
In order for a private company to be able to exploit oil, they have to have a special oil concession. In the case of lithium, most of the resources that are in the country are pos 78, therefore, those resources have to go through a special lithium operation contract.
Lithium, today, in Chile, is basically owned by society, by the Chilean State. In most of the resources that are available today. There are some who have some belongings that are pre 78.
Q: You were director of the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission, which is the entity that issues the permits to sell lithium.
A: It is the commission that has to authorize the extracted lithium and for that there must be a system, procedures and today the two companies that are exploiting lithium are SQM and Albemarle. In order to extract this lithium, a permit from the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission is needed to sell it.
