Chile is once again taking a firm step towards global protagonism in the energy transition. In a strategic decision announced on May 22, the National Mining Company (ENAMI) confirmed Rio Tinto, one of the world’s mining giants, as an operating partner of the Salares Altoandinos lithium project. This decision marks a before and after not only for the Chilean mining sector, but also for the country’s positioning in the global scenario of critical minerals, essential for clean technologies and next-generation batteries.
The alliance contemplates an initial investment of US$ 425 million, access to direct lithium extraction technology (DLE) and the use of the pilot plant that Rio Tinto currently operates in northern Argentina, in its Rincón project. This is Rio Tinto’s second major alliance in Chile after its recent partnership with Codelco in Maricunga, confirming the firm’s interest in positioning itself as a key player in the South American “Lithium Triangle”.
A milestone for Chilean energy and mining policy
The agreement is part of the National Lithium Strategy, promoted by the government of President Gabriel Boric. This strategy seeks to balance economic development, environmental protection and State participation in strategic resources, without closing the door to foreign investment and technological innovation.
The Salares Altoandinos project is located in the Atacama Region, specifically in the Aguilar, La Isla and Grande salt reserves, which represent a natural reservoir of unexploited lithium to date, but with high geological potential according to preliminary studies carried out by ENAMI since 2018.
According to official estimates, this project could produce up to 75,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year, with commercial operations projected to begin in 2032. Unlike current farms based on solar evaporation, this new venture will use the promising DLE (Direct Lithium Extraction) technology, which allows a more efficient recovery of lithium without altering the surface of the salt or relying on the evaporation of brine.
What does DLE mean and why is it a paradigm shift?
The direct extraction of lithium is considered by many as the “holy grail” of modern lithium mining. It consists of the use of resins, membranes or solvents that selectively capture lithium from the brine, without the need to evaporate billions of liters of water, which reduces the water impact and accelerates the production process from weeks to hours.
Although it has not yet been commercially deployed in Chile, Rio Tinto has advanced its application in the Rincón project, in the Argentine province of Salta, where it has successfully tested this technology in desert environments similar to those of the Chilean highlands.
The transfer of this technology to Salares Altoandinos not only positions Chile in the technical vanguard, but also represents a commitment to a cleaner, circular and more compatible mining with the communities and fragile ecosystems of the great north.
Structure of the agreement: shared governance and strategic vision
The shareholding of this joint venture will be 51% for Rio Tinto and 49% for ENAMI, configuring one of the most balanced public-private partnerships in the recent history of Chilean mining. The board will be composed of three representatives of Rio Tinto and two of ENAMI, which will allow the interests of the State to be represented at a strategic level.
This governance model has been designed to maximize technology transfer, ensure world-class environmental standards and ensure local reinvestment of profits, especially in indigenous territories and rural areas where salt lands are located.
From ENAMI, executive vice president Jaime Pérez de Arce said that this alliance is “the result of a rigorous, transparent and highly competitive process, which sought not only the highest economic bidder, but the partner who best understood the challenges of green, inclusive and transformative mining.”
Rio Tinto: from observer to protagonist of Chilean lithium
Rio Tinto is one of the largest mining companies in the world, with operations in more than 35 countries and a historical presence in copper, iron, aluminum and diamonds. His interest in lithium is recent, but determined. After acquiring the Rincón project in Argentina in 2021 for more than US$ 800 million, the company announced its intention to become one of the five largest lithium producers in the world by 2030.
His partnership with Codelco in the Salar de Maricunga had already been received with optimism by the market. But the entry as a leading operator in Salares Altoandinos consolidates the firm as a preferred ally for the Chilean State in its new mining development model.
From Rio Tinto’s global headquarters in London, CEO Jakob Stausholm celebrated the alliance with ENAMI, describing it as “a historic opportunity to contribute to the development of a sustainable lithium industry, led by Chile and with a global reach.”
Expected impacts: from the energy matrix to the regional economy
The expected benefits of this project can be analyzed at several levels:
- Clean energy for the world
The lithium extracted in Salares Altoandinos will be used mainly in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage. This will contribute to the decarbonization of transport, one of the most polluting sectors on the planet.
- Local productive chains
It is estimated that the project will generate more than 2,500 direct and indirect jobs during its construction and operation phase, many of them in rural communities and indigenous villages of the Atacama Region.
- Public investment with strategic return
Thanks to state participation through ENAMI, the Chilean State will attract not only royalties and taxes, but also direct profits from the lithium business, which can be reinvested in regional development, technical education and environmental protection.
- Open innovation
The agreement includes a clause for the creation of a Lithium Technology Innovation Center, co-financed by both parties, which will be located in Copiapó and will seek to promote applied R&D, mining startups and alliances with Chilean universities.
Reactions of the energy ecosystem
The news has been received with enthusiasm by various actors of the energy and environmental ecosystem. From ACERA, the Chilean Renewable Energy Association, its president María Teresa González commented:
“These types of projects mark the step towards green mining, which not only generates economic value, but also environmental and social value. Chile has everything to lead the lithium of the future.”
For his part, from the National Energy Commission (CNE), executive secretary Andrés Romero highlighted the importance of this alliance combining “investment, technology and state participation, demonstrating that energy policy can be made responsibly and with a long-term vision.”
A signal to the global market
With this alliance, Chile sends a clear message to global markets: it is possible to attract foreign investment without renouncing state control, sustainability or local participation. In times when Europe and the US U.S. seek to ensure clean and safe supply chains for its battery industries, Chile offers a unique combination: resources, clear rules and environmental awareness.
More than lithium, a new way of mining
The choice of Rio Tinto as operating partner of the Salares Altoandinos project is not only a business decision. It is a reflection of the new mining vision that Chile seeks to project to the world: a mining that extracts value without exhausting territories, that innovates without excluding, and that participates without abandoning the role of the State.
From this point of view, the agreement between ENAMI and Rio Tinto is much more than a contract. It is the beginning of a new era of lithium in Chile, where desert minerals help ignite a cleaner future for the entire planet.
Key fact: 70% of the lithium extracted in Salares Altoandinos will be allocated to supply agreements with battery manufacturers in Europe, the United States and Asia committed to compliance with ESG standards.
