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Salar de Atacama Lithium OperationNovaAndino Litio—Codelco and SQM joint venture NovaAndino Litio approved by Chilean regulators, securing world's second-largest lithium operation through 2060Salar de Atacama Lithium OperationNovaAndino Litio—NovaAndino Litio files for environmental approval of $3 billion project to expand to 300,000 tonnes per year and extend production to 2060

NovaAndino Litio

Lithium, Atacama, Codelco, SQM, brine, JV

CLgovernmentest. 2025Checked 11 Oct

The brief

Analyst view
  • JV approved January 2026 with Codelco majority control (50.1%), SQM minority (49.9%).
  • Current production 210,000 t/yr (~12% of global lithium); expansion to 300,000 t/yr by 2030.
  • Filed for environmental approval July 2026 for $3B technology deployment project.

Technical approach

As reported
Structure

Codelco majority, SQM minority

Codelco 50.1%, SQM 49.9%. SQM operates until 2031, then Codelco takes control.

Production

Brine evaporation to carbonate

Extracts lithium-rich brine at Salar de Atacama and converts to high-purity carbonate for batteries.

Scale

Second-largest producer globally

210,000 t/yr capacity; roughly 12% of world lithium production from one salt flat.

Primer