Innovation and technology: SQM and its contribution to the development of electromobility and sustainable mining

SQM once again enthusiastically joins the Public-Private Electromobility Agreement led by the Energy Ministry, which brings together 142 companies and is associated with variousactions, targets, and specific goals for making progress in this area.

By signing the agreement, the company commits to producing lithium with a low carbon footprint and will produce carbon neutral lithium by 2030. This will provide significant support for mitigating greenhouse gas produced by means of transportation in Chile. SQM is developing a road map that addresses the country’s challenges. It has committed to continuing to increase its fleet of electric passenger transport vehicles in 2022, which includes adding a high tonnage electric truck that is in the pilot stage. This will allow it to test technology, autonomy, and effectiveness in order to upgrade its fleet over the next few years.

SQM has made important progress towards expanding its electric vehicle fleet, developing the largest and most varied electric fleet in the Chilean mining industry, including 10 Maxus EV 80 minibuses, 5 GL Viggo buses, 10 GL Viggo minibuses and 8 CVU buses.

These actions align with SQM’s robust Sustainability Plan, which calls for contributing to the overall development of electromobility and reaching carbon neutrality, among other environmental commitments and goals. These actions have positioned SQM as a key stakeholder in the industry whose daily work reflects a strong commitment to the sustainability of the business and the industry.

SQM also has joined various initiatives like Race To Zero, a United Nations movement that invites non-state actors from around the globe to take immediate steps to slash global emissions by half by 2030 and offer a more just world with no carbon emissions. All of this aligns with the Paris Agreement, transparent action plans and solid short-term goals.

Sustainability is a fundamental element of SQM’s production, which is why it has also joined the Global Battery Alliance (GBA), an international public-private platform with 70 partner organizations that seek to create a circular and sustainable value chain for batteries.

SQM also became the first mining company to earn Chile’s Clean Activity Seal (Sello Giro Limpio), which certifies its commitment to move towards carbon neutrality, improving and strengthening energy efficiency in highway cargo transport in order to decrease the use of polluting fuels and Co2e emissions in order to contribute to production that is more efficient, competitive and environmentally friendly.

“We have continuously improved the yield of our production processes at Salar de Atacama. We have reduced water consumption and have committed to reducing brine consumption. All of that is reflected in our Sustainability Plan, which sets demanding, verifiable environmental goals. Sustainability isn’t just an aspiration, it is also a fundamental part of our business,” noted José Miguel Berguño, SQM’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Services.

The executive added: “Our commitment to national development of electromobility includes promoting the More Lithium, Less Footprint contest, which targets all of the R+D centers, universities, SMEs, start-ups and other entities that have electromobility and energy storage solutions focused on lower income and isolated areas of the country and that help the public. This aligns with the company’s Sustainability Plan and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”

It is important to note that SQM expects to have a production capacity of around 180 kMT of lithium products by 2022. This is three times the production reported for 2019 and reflects the global demand for electric cars. SQM is meeting this demand by continuously developing its technology and production processes, which is also connected to its robust investment plan for this year.