SANTIAGO, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Chile state miner Codelco filed with regulators on Friday a plan to st
SANTIAGO, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Chile state miner Codelco filed with regulators on Friday a plan to start exploration for lithium in its Maricunga salt flat holdings, a key step in advancing growth of the nation’s second richest deposit of the steel wanted for batteries.
The proposal, if permitted, would permit Codelco, the world’s prime producer of copper, to pinpoint concentrations of lithium on the flat, estimate the scale of the useful resource and establish mandatory subsequent steps.
The state-owned miner hopes to probe for as many as 10 months, the corporate mentioned in an announcement.
Codelco has for years talked of moving into the lithium enterprise. However the cash-strapped miner has repeatedly delayed plans to develop its reserves to focus on copper, its main enterprise.
Demand for lithium is extensively anticipated to skyrocket by 2025, however short-term oversupply has not too long ago prompted a number of miners to delay main initiatives.
Chile possesses…