German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has offered Chile help to process its lithium reserves. “In the global competition of the 21st century, it is not enough to simply transport raw materials – without regard for the environment, without reasonable working conditions, without adding value locally,” said Scholz, according to the transcript of the speech on German -Chilean Economic Forum in Santiago de Chile.
The main goal is to refine the light metal, which is important for high-tech products, also in Chile. The background is that China has so far imported the raw material lithium on a large scale from all over the world and then re-exported it as a refined product. The Aurubis metals group reached a letter of intent for closer cooperation with Chilean group Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer.
Scholz referred to the necessary environmental and human rights standards, sustainable mining and German help in training specialists. “Because that is the condition for not only extracting raw materials here in Chile, but also processing them,” he emphasized.
Both governments renewed the raw materials partnership. The supply of lithium, which is necessary for batteries, for example, or copper, was also the subject of his previous visit to Argentina. “Germany and Europe are very interested in diversifying our supply relationships,” the Chancellor stressed, referring to China’s dependence. Chile is a “desirable partner” for Germany.
Porsche and Siemens are conducting research into e-fuels
Scholz also referred to the cooperation on climate-neutral propulsion and referred to the cooperation in southern Chile. There, Siemens Energy and Porsche are involved in the first commercial e-fuel production plant north of Puenta Arenas. E-fuels are synthetic fuels produced from green hydrogen, using only renewable energy sources such as wind or solar. The German government finances the project. A new Chilean-German economic council should promote future investments in key sectors such as renewable energy, green hydrogen, the chemical industry, transport and logistics.
Aurubis and Codelco supported the German-Chilean raw materials cooperation with an agreement on closer cooperation in copper mining and processing. The goal is to ensure more sustainability in mining, processing and recycling. “It is very important that those involved throughout the value chain work together and adhere to certain standards,” says Roland Harings, CEO of Aurubis.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
