Salar de Atacama / La Negra

Albemarle's flagship lithium brine operation on the Salar de Atacama, the largest salt flat in Chile, with conversion at the nearby La Negra plant (three boron-removal, three Ca/Mg-removal and three lithium carbonate plants plus a lithium chloride plant). Brine (1,500-6,000 mg/L Li) is pumped to evaporation ponds for 18-24 months, then trucked to La Negra. Operates under a CORFO contract (amended 2017) running until quota exhaustion or January 1, 2044, with commissions on sales and community commitments; the reserve plan is truncated at September 2041 per the authorized quota. An early warning plan governs pumping rates around protected systems; direct lithium extraction with re-injection and the Salar Yield Improvement plant are being studied to lift output within the quota. Site has its own powerhouse and groundwater rights.