Through its subsidiary, Sorcia Minerals, the company has been present in Chile for seven years and contemplates an initial investment of US$ 500 million in national territory, in order to boost the lithium industry in the country through Direct Lithium Extraction Technology (DLE) and brine reinjection.
After several days of touring Europe, President Gabriel Boric landed in France to continue promoting investment and trade relations in the old continent. In this sense, the President had a breakfast organised by the Mouvement des Entreprises de France (Medef).
Boric was accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Alberto Van Klaveren; Science, Aisén Etcheverry; Economy, Nicolás Grau, and Energy, Diego Pardow. One of the relevant topics of the day was lithium, a subject that the President highlighted, but clarified that “we are not only here to sell stones, we are not only here to sell non-metallic mineral resources; we are also here to tell them that Chile is a country with tremendous potential, with advanced science, with advanced technology, where we certainly have a lot to learn”.
Daniel Layton, president and CEO of Ensorcia Group, a US company that has been present in Chile for seven years through its lithium subsidiary, Sorcia Minerals, was also present. Also in attendance was Pierre de Lapeyriere, president of Sorcia Minerals Europe a new subsidiary of the Ensorcia Group.
After the meeting with the President, where they discussed Ensorcia Group’s plans for Chile, Layton said that “it is good news that the President has opted for the use of clean technologies, such as direct lithium extraction with brine re-injection, to make the industry more sustainable. But we must act now, as the technology is already available on an industrial scale. If we wait four or five years to start new operations, we will miss the opportunity to take advantage of the lithium boom.”
To that, the Ensorcia Group’s chairman added that “we are encouraged by the progress being made, we hope that the path to rapid deployment and commercialisation continues, as it is not only essential for Chile, but for the world and the energy transition. We believe that President Boric is committed to this and will continue to push it forward quickly”.
A few months ago Layton was in Chile and met with government authorities and relevant actors in the lithium industry. Among them were the Minister of Economy, Nicolás Grau, the president of Codelco, Máximo Pacheco, the manager of Corporate Affairs at Corfo, Claudio Maggi, and the executive vice-president of the National Mining Company (Enami), Jaime Pérez de Arce, among others.
Ensorcia Group has an initial investment plan in Chile of US$ 500 million to produce, initially, 20,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year.