The project sits atop the Incahuasi Salar and it is located on the Chile/Argentina national border some 75 kilometres southeast from the Atacama Salar.
The southern African nation is pushing the metal as a major draw for investors as it looks to attract capital to its mining sector following the ousting last year of former president Robert Mugabe after almost four decades in power.
While the decision is final and not subject to appeal, one legal hurdle remains — Pampa Group, which controls SQM, earlier this month filed an additional appeal with Chile’s TDLC antitrust court.