Chile to start lithium talks with SQM by mid-year to boost state control

In his first interview with international media since the government announced plans for state control of the metal key for electric vehicle batteries, Economy Minister Nicolas Grau exclusively revealed to Reuters that the country will commence discussions with SQM over its operations in the Atacama. Chile aims to convince the world’s No. 2 lithium mining company to sign onto a state-led public-private model, while SQM said it would need to invest an additional $2 billion under the new strategy.