Indigenous communities living around Chile’s Atacama salt flat last year asked authorities to suspend SQM’s operating permits or reduce its operations until it submits an environmental compliance plan acceptable to regulators.
Mining international waters is in the spotlight as companies and countries are looking at minerals concentrated on the ocean floor that can be used in batteries for smart phones and electric vehicles.
Barrick took control of the mine in 2019, when the country’s National Environment Management Council had closed down the TSF, then holding significantly more water than it should.
