Chilean lithium exports continue rise in 2018

Economic Times reported that Chile’s exports of lithium carbonate reached USD 949 million in 2018 compared to USD 686 million the previous year as demand and prices for the key component in electric vehicle batteries continues to rise. Central bank said that the value of exports of the metal from Chile reached USD 65.8 million in December, compared to a high of USD 97 million in August, USD 71 million in November and USD 45 million in December 2017. The increase represented a year-on-year rise of 46.2 percent. Chile lies in the „lithium triangle“ in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, a region containing a large portion of the world’s lithium reserves. Top lithium producers Albemarle and SQM have both signed deals in recent years with the Chilean government to increase production in the lithium-rich Salar de Atacama.Global demand for lithium is expected to quadruple by 2025.