Albemarle Initiates Environmental Review for Chile’s First Direct Lithium Extraction Project in Salar de Atacama
Technology is designed to increase process efficiency and contribute to a net reduction of brine pumping
Santiago, Chile, March 25, 2026 – Albemarle Corporation, a global leader in providing essential elements for mobility, energy, connectivity, and health, today announced it has submitted the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Transition to Direct Lithium Extraction (TED) Project, an initiative aimed at advancing efficient and sustainable lithium production in the Salar de Atacama in Chile.
Using Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology, the project is designed to recover nearly twice as much lithium while reducing the amount of brine extracted compared to current operations, increasing process efficiency and contributing to a reduction in net pumping. Using gravity, the lithium-depleted brine is returned to the Salar de Atacama, preserving its hydrological and geochemical balance. The project is expected to complement Albemarle’s current lithium production without requiring an increase in the authorized volumes of brine extraction, additional solar evaporation ponds or new extraction areas.
Pending the successful completion of the permitting process and a final investment decision, the modular plant design allows for phased development of the project, accommodating up to six production lines.
“In the 45 years we have operated in Chile, we have undertaken a continuous journey of innovation to address the evolving needs of our industry,” said Sebastián Carmona, Vice President and Regional Leader for Latin America at Albemarle. “Today, we advance that journey with a project rooted in more than a decade of research and designed to reduce net brine extraction and increase process efficiency.”
Following more than 10 years of development, Albemarle recently completed testing of the DLE technology at its pilot plant located at the company’s La Negra facility in Chile. The plant has operated for over a year, achieving lithium recovery rates above 94%. This experience allowed testing and optimizing the process under operational conditions, before its large-scale implementation.
Prior to the project’s submission, an Early Citizen Participation (ECP) process was carried out to share the project details with nearby communities and gather their feedback, reaffirming the company’s commitment to sustainability, transparency, and ongoing dialogue with communities. In this context, 18 meetings, four student talks, 14 open houses, and nine visits to the pilot plant were carried out, reaching more than 1,250 people.
About the Project
The project will be in the municipality of San Pedro de Atacama, in the Antofagasta Region, approximately 31 kilometers from the town of Peine, and includes two locations.
The first is the Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) Plant, located in the eastern sector of the Salar’s core, within Albemarle’s mining concession area. The plant features a modular design consisting of up to six production lines, each capable of processing approximately 50 liters per second of brine. This design allows for the gradual implementation of the technology, operational adjustments based on monitoring results, and, if necessary, the suspension of phases without compromising base operations.
This technology has been validated through more than 10 years of research and development, as well as through the operation of a pilot plant at the La Negra complex. This experience has enabled the testing and optimization of the process under operational conditions prior to its large-scale implementation.
By enabling the controlled reintegration of lithium-depleted brine into the core of the Salar, the TED project contributes to reducing the decline in brine levels. The reinjection will be monitored and will have an early warning plan to verify that its behavior remains within the projected parameters.
In total, the plant is designed to occupy approximately 73 hectares, a considerably smaller footprint compared to the existing evaporation ponds, and includes two main areas: a civic zone, housing offices, dining facilities, and service spaces, and an industrial zone.
The second component of the project involves the construction of an electric transmission line to supply the operation with power from the National Electric System, certified as renewable energy. The line is planned to run parallel to Route B-39 toward the south and include a new 220-kilovolt (kV) transmission line extending approximately 29 kilometers. This route was carefully selected to run alongside existing infrastructure, avoiding areas of environmental, cultural, or community value. In addition to supplying power to the operation, this infrastructure also opens the possibility of improving power supply stability and digital connectivity in nearby communities, generating additional benefits for the territory.
The project also includes the implementation of a real-time monitoring system for flows, levels, and water chemistry, together with an Early Warning Plan (EWP) associated with brine reincorporation, with the participation of communities, universities, and independent consulting firms. Albemarle has been implementing a participatory monitoring model for several years under its current environmental permit, which invites communities to participate as on-site observers and access monitoring results directly. The TED Project is expected to strengthen this model by integrating complementary monitoring systems with access to information, full traceability, and external verification, ensuring that all stakeholders can see and understand what is happening in the Salar.
Pending the successful completion of the permitting process and a final investment decision, the modular plant design allows for phased development that would begin with the first production line of the DLE Plant and the electrical transmission line. The development of additional production lines may be subject to economic variables and environmental conditions.
The project is expected to generate, on average, 350 jobs during the construction phase and up to 450 permanent positions if all six production lines are fully operational.
About Albemarle
Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) is a world leader in transforming essential resources into critical ingredients for mobility, energy, connectivity and health. We partner to pioneer new ways to move, power, connect and protect with people and planet in mind. A reliable and high-quality global supply of lithium and bromine allows us to deliver advanced solutions for our customers. Learn more about how the people of Albemarle are enabling a more resilient world at Albemarle.com.
Albemarle regularly posts information to Albemarle.com, including notification of events, news, financial performance, investor presentations and webcasts, non-GAAP reconciliations, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings and other information regarding the company, its businesses and the markets it serves.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements concerning our expectations, anticipations and beliefs regarding the future, which constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements, which are based on assumptions that we have made as of the date hereof and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, often contain words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "goal," "guidance," "intend,” “plan,” “project,” "may," "should," "would," "will," and similar references to future periods. Forward-looking statements may include statements regarding: the expected performance, benefits, and capabilities of DLE technology; expectations concerning lithium recovery rates, brine extraction volumes, brine depletion and monitoring systems, and process efficiency; expectations relating to Company strategy, operations, or performance; anticipated environmental and hydrological outcomes; expectations regarding the EIA and permitting process; potential timing, scope, and phasing of the TED Project; the potential for commercial scale operations based on pilot plan results; other plans, strategies, job opportunities and objectives related to the TED project; improvements in power supply stability and digital connectivity, and all other information relating to matters that are not historical facts. These and other forward-looking statements are based on management’s current assumptions and expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect expected results. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements if one or more of the underlying estimates, assumptions or expectations prove to be inaccurate or are unrealized. Factors that could cause Albemarle’s actual results to differ materially from the outlook expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement include: challenges with project scaling, lower than expected recovery rates or efficiency gains, delays in assessment or permitting processes, changes in economic, community, and business conditions; fluctuations in lithium demand or pricing; supply chain disruptions or increased costs of materials; impacts of changing environmental or labor conditions; trade policies and tariffs; technological change and development; changes in laws and government regulation; regulatory actions, legal proceedings, breaches of contract; and the other factors detailed from time to time in the reports Albemarle files with the SEC, including those described under “Risk Factors” in Albemarle’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which are filed with the SEC and available on the investor section of Albemarle’s website (investors.albemarle.com) and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Albemarle assumes no obligation to provide any revisions to any forward-looking
statements should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by securities and other applicable laws.
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