# Chile's Nova Andino Litio files an environmental impact study for a US$2-3.5 billion lithium project at Salar Futuro in June 2026 > Nova Andino Litio submitted a full Environmental Impact Study in June 2026 for the Salar Futuro lithium project in Chile's Atacama region, targeting US$2-3.5 billion in investment and 280,000-300,000 tonnes LCE per year; the project advances under the Kast government's reduced-state-control lithium framework after Boric's state-led model was set aside **Meta:** type: story · date: 2026-06-01 · heads: 长远之局, 谁的钱 · 5 takes · 4 lenses · 2 regions ## Summary Nova Andino Litio submitted a full Environmental Impact Study (EIS) to Chile's Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) in June 2026 for the Salar Futuro lithium project in the Atacama region. The project targets an investment of US$2-3.5 billion and is designed to produce 280,000-300,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year. The EIS filing is the first large new private-sector lithium project to advance through formal environmental review in Chile since President José Antonio Kast set aside the Boric administration's state-partnership requirement for new concessions. Under Boric, lithium policy mandated that new concession holders establish a state-partnership structure with Codelco or a similar entity as an effective control partner; Kast modified this framework, enabling private developers to file EIS applications for new salares without a mandatory state co-ownership requirement. The Salar Futuro project is separate from Codelco's state-led Pedernales lithium project, which received US$12 million in pre-feasibility funding in April 2026. Chile is the world's largest lithium reserve holder and competes with Argentina and Australia for production share in the global lithium supply chain. ## The split The Kast government frames the Salar Futuro EIS as evidence that its lighter-touch lithium framework is unlocking private investment that Boric's state-centric model had deterred. The right-wing argument is that private capital, not mandated state partnerships, will maximise the pace and efficiency of Chile's lithium resource development, and that royalties and taxes provide sufficient public benefit. The left-wing opposition, including the Frente Amplio and former Boric government officials, argues that allowing private developers to control new lithium concessions without effective state partnership transfers long-term resource rents to private shareholders, following a pattern that left Chile with minimal national benefit from copper privatisation in the 20th century. Indigenous communities in the Atacama, particularly the Atacameño peoples whose ancestral territory includes the salares, have consistently argued that lithium EIS processes do not adequately consult or compensate affected communities, and that brine extraction threatens the hydrological systems that sustain the altiplano ecosystem. ## By the numbers - US$2-3.5 billion, projected investment for the Salar Futuro lithium project - 280,000-300,000 tonnes LCE/year, Salar Futuro targeted annual production - June 2026, date of EIS submission to Chile's SEA - US$12 million, Codelco Pedernales pre-feasibility allocation in April 2026 - 1, number of large new private-sector lithium EIS filings in Chile under the Kast framework as of June 2026 ## Why it matters Chile holds the world's largest lithium reserves and its policy framework directly shapes the global critical minerals supply chain for electric vehicle batteries and grid storage. The Salar Futuro EIS is significant because it represents the first test of whether Kast's reduced-state-control framework actually accelerates investment timelines versus Boric's model. If the EIS moves through the SEA review process in 24-36 months, the project could reach construction decision by 2028-2029, adding a material new production source to the global lithium supply chain at a critical juncture. The parallel Codelco Pedernales project means Chile is running a de facto policy experiment: state-led versus private-led lithium development, with outcomes visible to the global mining and climate finance communities. The environmental and indigenous consultation dimensions will also be watched closely, given that prior projects at the Salar de Atacama have faced years of legal challenge from Atacameño communities. ## What to watch - Whether the SEA completes the Salar Futuro EIS review within its statutory timeline and what conditions it attaches. - Whether indigenous community consultations under the ILO Convention 169 process produce accommodations or legal challenges. - Whether the Codelco Pedernales pre-feasibility advances to a positive feasibility study decision by year-end 2026. - Whether the Kast government's lithium framework changes attract additional private-sector EIS applications at other salares. ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### Latin America-focused English-language outlet; reported the Salar Futuro EIS submission in June 2026 - **Rio Times** (Latin America, en) — Reported that Nova Andino Litio submitted a full Environmental Impact Study (EIS) to Chile's Environmental Assessment Service (SEA) in June 2026 for the Salar Futuro lithium project in the Atacama region. The project targets an investment of US$2-3.5 billion and would produce 280,000-300,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year. The filing was the first large new lithium EIS submitted in Chile under the Kast administration's framework, which reduced the state-partnership model that former President Boric had mandated for new lithium concessions. > "Nova Andino Litio files EIS for Salar Futuro lithium project; US$2-3.5 billion investment targeting 280,000-300,000 tonnes LCE annually." Source: https://www.riotimesonline.com/chile-lithium-salar-futuro-codelco-sqm-environmental-review-june-2026/ ### Latin America-focused English-language outlet; covered Codelco's Pedernales lithium pre-feasibility update in April 2026 - **Rio Times** (Latin America, en) — Reported that state copper company Codelco allocated US$12 million to advance the Pedernales lithium pre-feasibility study in April 2026, a separate Atacama project from Salar Futuro. The Pedernales project is the primary state-led lithium venture that persisted through the Kast policy change, as Codelco's existing concessions were not subject to the same framework revision. Provided context on the two-track Chile lithium landscape: state-managed Pedernales alongside the new private-sector Salar Futuro entry. > "Codelco allocates US$12 million to Pedernales lithium pre-feasibility as Chile maintains a two-track lithium development model." Source: https://www.riotimesonline.com/codelco-pedernales-lithium-chile-12-million-april-2026/ ### Mining industry publication; assessed Chile's lithium sector framework changes in late 2025 under the new government - **International Mining** (Global, en) — Assessed changes to Chile's lithium sector framework as Kast's incoming government signalled a move away from the Boric-era requirement that all new lithium concessions include a state partner with effective control. The December 2025 analysis predicted that private sector project pipelines would accelerate in 2026, with Salar Futuro, then in pre-EIS preparation, cited as the most advanced candidate for a full filing. The article provided technical background on the Atacama lithium resource base and the environmental permitting timeline. > "Chile's lithium framework shift under Kast expected to unlock private-sector project pipeline; Salar Futuro named as leading candidate." Source: https://im-mining.com/2025/12/29/11/ ### unlabelled - **Gibson Dunn** (Global, en) — Source: https://www.gibsondunn.com/chile-lithium-regulation-update-2026/ - **Discovery Alert / Mining Journal** (Global, en) — Source: https://discoveryalert.com.au/chile-salar-futuro-lithium-eis-2026/ ## Across the graph - Related: [[chile-kast-economic-reform-2026]] - Entities: Chile, Commodity:lithium --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/zh/n/chile-lithium-salar-futuro-2026