Lithium production issues in Chile: Perceptions involving the strategic resource and the common good

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the perceptions of the accelerated demand for lithium and its growing use due to technological advances, and how this demand places the reserves in the northern Chilean salars at the center of debates involving methods of exploitation and commercialization. The objective of this research is to analyze the perceptions of expert professionals in lithium production, to determine the barriers that have prevented Chile from leading the production of this highly demanded mineral. To achieve this, a qualitative approach is proposed under an interpretive paradigm, based on 30 semi-structured interviews with professionals and executives in the mining sector. The data reveals that the predominant positions tend to neutralize each other. On one hand, there is the extractivist economic model that considers mining as a strategic resource for national industry and seeks to strengthen it and make it profitable. On the other hand, there are political-environmental approaches that seek to limit the process through stricter regulations or territorial consultations focused on the common good. In summary, the different conceptions around lithium represent competing ideological models, where the economic and political-environmental debate has not yet defined what is good for our country and needs to be reviewed so as not to miss out on a potentially beneficial strategic opportunity.