Chile: Chile takes the lead in lithium production

Advanced Battery Technology, Sep 1999

The United States has been overtaken by Chile as the leading producer of lithium according to The Economics of Lithium, a new industry report from Roskill. Until 1994, world lithium chemical and metal production were dominated by two U.S. producers, with most lithium products in the Western World originating from U.S.

hard rock deposits. However, the last five years have seen significant changes in the lithium chemicals and metal market: Chile has taken the lead in lithium production, with a major new producer, SQM, building up a very substantial market share in a short time. Both the U.S. spodumene mines have closed and most lithium products are, therefore, derived from deposits outside the USA, with a third coming from brine sources.