독일 화학 기업 바스프(BASF)가 칠레에 리튬 제련 공장 건설을 고려하고 있다. 유럽 당국과 제조사들이 배터리 금속 공급 국가와 관계 강화를 모색하는 분위기가 반영됐다.
소식통은 바스프가 리튬을 양극재로 생산하는 공장 건설을 고려하고 있다고 언급했다. 바스프는 최근 캐나다 웨스트미네랄(Wealth Minerals)과 계약을 체결, 웨스트미네랄이 칠레에서 생산 계약을 확보하면 바스프가 리튬을 공급 받게 된다.
앞서 중국 BYD, 칭산그룹(Tsingshan Holding Group) 등이 칠레에서 양극재 공장 건설을 발표한 바 있다.
Germany’s BASF Considers Building Lithium Plant in Chile (Bloomberg, 12-14)
Proposal comes as Germany strengthens ties with key suppliers
Chile offers preferential lithium access in downstream push
A giant brine evaporation pool in Chile’s Atacama.Source: Bloomberg
German chemicals giant BASF SE is considering a lithium processing project in Chile as European authorities and manufacturers look to strengthen ties with key suppliers of battery metals in the energy transition.
BASF is exploring the possibility of building a plant to turn lithium from Chilean salt flats into the cathode that goes into electric-vehicle batteries, according to people with knowledge of the matter. They asked not to be named given the proposal is at an early stage. BASF recently signed a deal with Wealth Minerals Ltd. that includes lithium offtake if the Canadian explorer obtains production contracts in Chile.
If the project goes ahead, Ludwigshafen-based BASF would join Chinese firms BYD Co. and Tsingshan Holding Group in developing cathode factories in Chile. In October, Tsingshan agreed to invest $233 million on a lithium iron phosphate plant that will get preferential access to local lithium. Chile entered into a similar deal with EV juggernaut BYD in April. Additional preferential lithium offtake — from Albemarle Corp.’s mine in Chile — will become available next year.
The South American nation is looking to leverage the world’s biggest reserves of lithium to move further down the battery supply chain in the transition away from fossil fuels. At the same time, Chile’s government is mandating cleaner mining methods that appeal to German automakers and their investors. Germany’s Deputy Economy Minister Franziska Brantner said in an X post on Thursday that Chile “is an extremely important trading partner for us to promote the sustainable transformation of our economy.”
— With assistance from Iain Rogers