Codelco, the Chilean state-owned mining company, said on Wednesday that it would begin lithium exploration in Salar de Maricunga next month, which could be a high-grade reserve of ultra-light metals that is key to making batteries for electric cars.
Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, won environmental permission to develop the salt field in November 2020, a move that will help it enter the growing lithium industry, which has been delayed by its focus on copper.
Drilling will begin at the end of March and will last about 10 months, Codelco said. Maricunga has some high-grade lithium deposits, although it is less than 5 per cent of Chile's huge Salar de Atacama (, one of the world's major lithium mines.
"based on the results of this activity, especially the concentration of lithium dissolved in salt water in the mine, the company will determine whether it is environmentally and economically feasible to continue development," Codelco said in a statement.
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