This footage was filmed and produced 10 January 2024.

The world's second largest producer of lithium, a key light metal in the production of car batteries and electronic equipment, Chile has defined the way to exploit and protect the extensive network of salt flats in the country, which has one of the largest known reserves of lithium.
Due to its strategic importance and quantity of production, the Chilean state will have a majority share (50%+1) of the exploitation of the Salar de Atacama and the Salar de Maricunga, according to a joint press conference held by the Minister of Finance, Mario Marcel, the Minister of Mining, Aurora Willians, and the Minister of Economy, Nicolas Grau.
Chile currently extracts all the lithium it exports from the Salar de Atacama, which is exploited through concessions held by the Chilean company SQM and the U.S.-based Albemarle.

In five other salt flats, Pedernales, Grande, Los Infieles, La Isla and Aguilar, projects can be developed through public-private partnerships with the flexibility required for each initiative.

There is another group of 26 salt flats where a "call for expressions of interest" will be made to national and foreign investors to develop one or more projects to exploit lithium deposits.

Thirty-eight salt flats will be protected and will not be exploited.

SHOTLIST:
1. Images of the Atacama salt flats;
2. Images of lithium deposits in the Atacama Salt Flat;
3. Image of the lithium council of ministers;
4. Images of lithium extracting companies;
5. Images of people touching liquid lithium.