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Chile to seek bidders for preferential pricing on lithium by July

Chile will open calls by the end of July for lithium component manufacturers to acquire preferential pricing on lithium produced by Albemarle through 2043, government officials said on Thursday.

Albemarle and SQM are the two existing lithium operators in Chile, and their agreements state that a part of their output will be awarded at preferential rates ?? to companies that keep investment in Chile, the world's second largest lithium producer.

The method announced by President Gabriel Boric in 2015 is in part focused on stimulating local financial investment in innovations using lithium, consisting of batteries and battery elements.

The head of Chile's economic advancement agency CORFO, Jose Miguel Benavente, said a dozen companies from various countries have an interest in acquiring lithium through the Albemarle offering, positioning Chile to take a bigger role in the international supply chain of battery parts, whether for electric cars or other types of energy storage.

CORFO in 2015 granted preferential pricing agreements for lithium produced by SQM to Chinese electric-vehicle maker BYD and China's Tsingshan Holding Group, both contingent on strategies from the business to establish battery parts in Chile.

On Tuesday, BYD informed it was postponing prepare for a. 2025 lithium cathode plant in Chile over unpredictability, without. offering information.

Benavente informed press reporters that government officials were. helping BYD look for a website to build the plant, and said that. the EV maker has the choice to work out directly with SQM over. pricing.

He stated BYD has so far satisfied its commitments to. gain access to the SQM preferential rates, but need to start production. in 2025 to keep the agreement.

Chile initially had a bidding process for preferential. rates on Albemarle production in 2018 with 3 business, but. the offer fell through following problems with supply and rates.

The new process follows the resolution of a four-year. dispute between CORFO and Albemarle, in which Chile provided. Albemarle the ability to increase its lithium production by. nearly 50%, contingent on establishing brand-new technology targeted at. more eco-friendly extraction.

(source: Reuters)