Saudi Arabia's mining minister plans to meet with his Chilean counterpart in Santiago at the end of July to discuss potential investments in lithium, a Chilean government source said.
Bandar Alkhorayef © SPS
Saudi Arabia's mining minister plans to meet with his Chilean counterpart in Santiago at the end of July to discuss potential investments in lithium, a Chilean government source said.
Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef told Reuters in a recent interview that the Middle Eastern country is interested in obtaining lithium overseas as it aims to enter the electric vehicle (EV) sector.
Chile is the world's second-biggest producer of lithium, a material key to making the batteries that power EVs. The global shift towards EVs has created a rush by carmakers and global powers for the ultralight metal.
Chilean newspaper Diario Financiero first reported plans for the Saudi visit to Chile, saying Alkhorayef was expected to meet with mining minister Aurora Williams. It also said Saudi Arabia was interested in meeting with Codelco and Enami, the state-run mining companies tasked with bringing the Chilean government into the lithium industry.
Both companies are seeking private sector partners to launch new lithium projects - Codelco in the Maricunga salt flat, and Enami in brine deposits known as Altoandinos.
The Mining Ministry and Codelco did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Enami said it has not received any meeting requests from Saudi officials or companies.
Chile's mining ministry in April said it had been approached by the Saudi embassy in Santiago about hosting a delegation this year to discuss potential investments in the sector.
Saudi ambassador in Chile Khalid Alsaloom in a social media post last week said he met with Williams to discuss topics of mutual interest.
Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon and Fabian Cambero
Saudi Arabia issued alerts on Thursday warning of potential danger in Yanbu, the kingdom's Red Sea oil export hub, as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis continue attacks on the kingdom that have opened another front in the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Benjamin Netanyahu's position in the post-election battle to stay on as Israel's prime minister weakened on Thursday after an ultra-Orthodox Jewish party withheld support for any nominee and an Arab-led party endorsed his main opponent.
President Tayyip Erdogan said he believed ties between Turkey and Azerbaijan could overcome all obstacles and he would visit Baku on November 8, after tensions in recent weeks between the historic allies over regional and domestic policies.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.