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regulation","novandino-s-salar-futuro-lithium-project-targets-470-000-tonnes-lce-but-regulatory-permissions-set-ceiling","article/novandino-s-salar-futuro-lithium-project-targets-470-000-tonnes-lce-but-regulatory-permissions-set-ceiling",{"_uid":547,"date":548,"tags":549,"editor":559,"content":569,"excerpt":769,"featured":51,"reporter":770,"component":780,"seo_title":781,"categories":782,"visibility":791,"data_vis_image":792,"featured_image":795,"seo_description":799,"formattedDate":800,"formattedArticleDate":801},"fa78125f-359d-4143-a4f3-3f82b0d826ad","2026-07-07 00:00",[550,553,556],{"slug":551,"name":552},"sqm","SQM",{"slug":554,"name":555},"codelco","Codelco",{"slug":557,"name":558},"chile","Chile",[560],{"slug":561,"name":562,"content":563},"benjamin-roche","Benjamin Roche",{"job_title":564,"image":565,"bio":567,"linkedin":568},"Editor – Energy Transition Supply Chains",{"filename":566},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/800x800/66d6674fb8/benjamin-roche.png","Benjamin is Benchmark's Editor for Energy Transition Supply Chains, covering both upstream products like critical minerals and downstream products including energy storage systems and electric vehicles. He has previous experience covering trade flows, tariffs and the effects of geopolitics on supply chains.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrochecontent/",{"type":570,"content":571},"doc",[572,601,609,631,639,661,672,682,690,698,720,728,736,744],{"type":573,"attrs":574,"content":575},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[576,584,596],{"text":577,"type":578,"marks":579},"Chilean lithium project Salar Futuros’ recent filing reveals an annual capacity ambition of 470,000 tonnes LCE, but it is likely to face ","text",[580],{"type":581,"attrs":582},"textStyle",{"color":583},"#000000",{"text":585,"type":578,"marks":586},"regulatory challenges",[587,594],{"type":588,"attrs":589},"link",{"href":590,"uuid":591,"anchor":49,"target":592,"linktype":593},"/article/chile-s-regulatory-gridlock-giving-argentina-upper-hand-on-lithium-output-growth","6d4b46da-d155-4b62-9e59-97f9c80037ab","_blank","story",{"type":581,"attrs":595},{"color":583},{"text":597,"type":578,"marks":598}," in meeting this target. ",[599],{"type":581,"attrs":600},{"color":583},{"type":573,"attrs":602,"content":603},{"textAlign":49},[604],{"text":605,"type":578,"marks":606},"NovAndino, the SQM-Codelco joint venture formalised in December 2025, has submitted the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for its Salar Futuro project, a US$3 billion complete overhaul of their current operations in the Salar de Atacama designed to extend production through 2060.",[607],{"type":581,"attrs":608},{"color":583},{"type":573,"attrs":610,"content":611},{"textAlign":49},[612,617,626],{"text":613,"type":578,"marks":614},"The headline capacity is for up to 470,000 LCE tonnes per year, plus potassium salts and other derivatives. Benchmark reads this figure as regulatory optionality secured for the future, not a production target. Any move towards that capacity hinges on two uncertainties: future quota and lease decisions, and the successful deployment of ",[615],{"type":581,"attrs":616},{"color":583},{"text":618,"type":578,"marks":619},"direct lithium extraction (DLE)",[620,624],{"type":588,"attrs":621},{"href":622,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":592,"linktype":623},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/publications/special-issues/direct-lithium-extraction-the-rise-and-potential-of-new-lithium-extraction-technology","url",{"type":581,"attrs":625},{"color":583},{"text":627,"type":578,"marks":628}," at a scale that has not yet been demonstrated. ",[629],{"type":581,"attrs":630},{"color":583},{"type":573,"attrs":632,"content":633},{"textAlign":49},[634],{"text":635,"type":578,"marks":636},"The figure is 70% above guidance for 2026 and well beyond the previously planned ramp-up to 300,000 tonnes by the end of this decade, as previously communicated when the project was framed primarily as an environmental modernisation rather than an expansion of capacity.",[637],{"type":581,"attrs":638},{"color":583},{"type":573,"attrs":640,"content":641},{"textAlign":49},[642,647,656],{"text":643,"type":578,"marks":644},"There is uncertainty around ",[645],{"type":581,"attrs":646},{"color":583},{"text":648,"type":578,"marks":649},"NovAndino’s ",[650,654],{"type":588,"attrs":651},{"href":652,"uuid":653,"anchor":49,"target":592,"linktype":593},"/article/sqm-atacama-lithium-operation-secured-to-2060-with-codelco-partnership-approval","aefaf74d-5567-4207-9bf5-3d4cd537682c",{"type":581,"attrs":655},{"color":583},{"text":657,"type":578,"marks":658},"ability to reach this capacity as the company has not yet publicly selected a DLE route after several years of tests and pilot plant work, including with French technology firm Adionics.",[659],{"type":581,"attrs":660},{"color":583},{"type":662,"attrs":663},"blok",{"id":664,"body":665},"d8788c67-9645-4674-b482-f460136c92b0",[666],{"id":667,"_uid":668,"type":669,"component":670,"fixed_height":671,"use_fixed_height":50,"fixed_height_mobile":671,"fixed_height_tablet":671},"29612980","i-81f3fa27-2951-4852-a32b-21f164f35ce5","visualisation","ContentFlourish","",{"type":673,"attrs":674,"content":676},"heading",{"level":675,"textAlign":49},2,[677],{"text":678,"type":578,"marks":679},"Headline figure represents maximum capacity, not authorised production",[680],{"type":581,"attrs":681},{"color":583},{"type":573,"attrs":683,"content":684},{"textAlign":49},[685],{"text":686,"type":578,"marks":687},"The 470,000 tonnes does not represent authorised production or sales, but is instead the maximum single-year production allowed by Corfo, the Chilean regulator. ",[688],{"type":581,"attrs":689},{"color":583},{"type":573,"attrs":691,"content":692},{"textAlign":49},[693],{"text":694,"type":578,"marks":695},"The regulator has authorised the extraction of 2.5 million tonnes of lithium metal equivalent between the period of 2031–2060, expandable to 3.02 million tonnes subject to environmental permits. These levels support sales of up to around 330,000 LCE tonnes per year during that period of time, which is the planned capacity of the brine processing system. .",[696],{"type":581,"attrs":697},{"color":583},{"type":573,"attrs":699,"content":700},{"textAlign":49},[701,706,715],{"text":702,"type":578,"marks":703},"“If NovAndino produced 470k in one year, they would dry up their allotted long-term quota faster,” said ",[704],{"type":581,"attrs":705},{"color":583},{"text":707,"type":578,"marks":708},"Federico Gay, Benchmark’s principal lithium analyst",[709,713],{"type":588,"attrs":710},{"href":711,"uuid":712,"anchor":49,"target":592,"linktype":593},"/videos/what-is-the-outlook-for-lithium-in-latin-america","2e803866-775f-4d3e-b1b3-3a73823ba02d",{"type":581,"attrs":714},{"color":583},{"text":716,"type":578,"marks":717},". “NovAndino is permitting capacity ahead of quota, securing regulatory optionality now, and leaving quotas and lease terms to be renegotiated later.”",[718],{"type":581,"attrs":719},{"color":583},{"type":673,"attrs":721,"content":722},{"level":675,"textAlign":49},[723],{"text":724,"type":578,"marks":725},"What is NovAndino’s forecast production?",[726],{"type":581,"attrs":727},{"color":583},{"type":573,"attrs":729,"content":730},{"textAlign":49},[731],{"text":732,"type":578,"marks":733},"Benchmark’s Q2 Lithium Forecast shows the phased pathway for this operation, given that Salar de Atacama’s operation is expected to rise to 300,000 tonnes by the end of the decade.",[734],{"type":581,"attrs":735},{"color":583},{"type":573,"attrs":737,"content":738},{"textAlign":49},[739],{"text":740,"type":578,"marks":741},"After this, the NovAndino has planned a multi-year transition from today's evaporation model to an integrated flowsheet combining the existing ponds with membrane separation and direct lithium extraction (DLE). While the evaporation process takes water out of the system, which is permanently lost, DLE can be designed as a closed system that reinjects the treated water back to the salar, resulting in a reduction of water table drawdown while also increasing recovery rates.",[742],{"type":581,"attrs":743},{"color":583},{"type":573,"attrs":745,"content":746},{"textAlign":49},[747,754,763],{"text":748,"type":578,"marks":749},"Insights in this story are drawn from Benchmark's Lithium Service, including its Q2 Lithium Forecast. You can ",[750,752],{"type":581,"attrs":751},{"color":583},{"type":753},"italic",{"text":755,"type":578,"marks":756},"learn more about the service here",[757,760,762],{"type":588,"attrs":758},{"href":759,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":592,"linktype":623},"https://www.benchmarkminerals.com/lithium",{"type":581,"attrs":761},{"color":583},{"type":753},{"text":764,"type":578,"marks":765},".",[766,768],{"type":581,"attrs":767},{"color":583},{"type":753},"Chilean lithium project Salar Futuros’ recent filing reveals an annual capacity ambition of 470,000 tonnes LCE, but it is likely to face regulatory challenges in meeting this target. \n\nNovAndino, the SQM-Codelco joint venture formalised in December 2025, has submitted the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for its Salar Futuro project, a US$3 billion complete overhaul of their current operations in the Salar de Atacama designed to extend production through 2060.",[771],{"slug":772,"name":773,"content":774},"federico-gay","Federico Gay",{"job_title":775,"image":776,"bio":778,"linkedin":779,"markets_covered":8},"Principal Analyst - Lithium",{"filename":777},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/599762cb57/federico-gay.jpeg","Federico is an economic geologist specializing in lithium at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. His expertise bridges technical and financial domains, with a background that spans deposit assessment, resource estimation, cost modelling, pricing trends, and ESG analysis. Federico’s career includes hands-on mining experience in Chile across lithium and copper deposits, as well as market-facing roles at the London Stock Exchange, focusing on lithium, precious metals and copper. His work supports strategic insights into the global energy transition and critical mineral supply chains. He holds a MSc in Economic Geology from Universidad Catolica del Norte, Chile.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/federico-gaston-gay-1aa629160/","article","Salar Futuro lithium project target faces regulatory hurdles",[783,785,788],{"slug":784,"name":8},"lithium",{"slug":786,"name":787},"critical-minerals","Critical Minerals",{"slug":789,"name":790},"raw-materials","Raw Materials","private",{"id":49,"alt":49,"name":671,"focus":49,"title":49,"source":49,"filename":671,"copyright":49,"fieldtype":793,"meta_data":794},"asset",{},{"id":796,"alt":671,"name":671,"focus":671,"title":671,"source":671,"filename":797,"copyright":671,"fieldtype":793,"meta_data":798,"is_external_url":50},129072824071681,"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/b61da709ae/bm-sqm-reducira-en-50-la-extraccion-de-salmuera-del-salar-de-atacama-y-en-40-su-consumo-hidrico-en-t.jpg",{},"Chilean lithium project Salar Futuros’ recent filing reveals an annual capacity ambition of 470,000 LCE tonne, but it is likely to face regulatory challenges in meeting this target.","Jul 07, 2026","7th July 2026",[],[],1783441466281]