Codelco responds to Salar Blanco court challenge on lithium

Codelco responds to Salar Blanco court challenge on lithium By Tania Herrera Wednesday, March 28, 2018 Create note Chilean state copper giant Codelco has responded to a legal challenge made by Minera Salar Blanco in the Santiago court of appeal over a permit Codelco recently received from the mining ministry to exploit lithium in the Salar de Maricunga in northern Atacama region. In the 36-page document, Codelco states that the legal action taken by Salar Blanco has an "instrumental, unfounded and extemporaneous nature." The state company responded that lithium exploitation is within its concerns and that even national policy and state guidelines expressly entrust Codelco to develop lithium projects. "In January 2016, the president of the Republic announced the lithium policy and governance of salares, which, gathering the recommendations of the report prepared by the national lithium commission, among other matters, entrusted to Codelco the development of a business model for the sustainable use of the Maricunga and Pedernales salt flats, in partnership with the private sector," the text states. Another of Codelco's arguments is that Salar Blanco's court challenge was submitted outside the necessary timeframe, because it had six months to file the suit after the alleged infringement occurred. The state company said the private firm has been aware of Codelco's position on Salar de Maricunga for much longer than six months. RELATED NEWS Salar Blanco takes Chile's Codelco to court Chile approves Codelco lithium contract Salar Blanco obtains permit to mine lithium in Chile MineralsLithium