Chile’s regulatory gridlock giving Argentina upper hand on lithium output growth

Stagnation in Chile’s lithium output growth stands in contrast to rapidly-growing Argentina, as regulatory hold-ups limit development of new projects in the world’s third-largest-producing nation. Two years after the official launch of the National Lithium Strategy in Chile, Lithium remains a strategic national resource, meaning private operators cannot extract it using standard mining concessions. They instead require a Special Lithium Operation Contract (CEOL), a public-private contractual vehicle that grants exclusive rights to explore and exploit lithium resources on a list of pre-determined salars.