Conversion refinery · Chile

Salar del Carmen

ProducingVerified 24 Oct 2026As of 24 Oct 2026
Owner
Nova Andino Litio (Novandino), joint company of SQM and Codelco
Listed via
SQM
Product
Li₂CO₃ / LiOH
Deposit type
Conversion
Capacity
Novandino total (not Carmen alone): 2026 guidance 280–290 kt LCE incl. sulfate refined in China; >300 kt LCE capacity by end-2027
≈ 210 kt LCE/yr (nameplate)
Location
-23.65°, -70.26°
Source
Filing used for verification

Novandino is converting the Chilean LiOH plant into a dual carbonate/hydroxide facility, due by mid-2027.

Ownership structure

Effective economic interest of listed owners · As of 24 Oct 2026
SQMSQM100%Salar del CarmenConversion refinery

Attributable capacity

Listed ownerStakekt LCE/yr
SQM SQM100%≈210

Structure: Nova Andino Litio (Novandino), joint company of SQM and Codelco.

Value chain

Owners, buyers and the refineries on Li3atlas they feed · As of 24 Oct 2026
Listed ownersSQMSQM
Conversion refinerySalar del CarmenNovandino total (not Carmen alone): 2026 guidance 280–290 kt LCE incl. sulfate refined in China; >300 kt LCE capacity by end-2027

Milestones

As of 24 Oct 2026

Upcoming (1)

  • H1 2027LiOH plant converted to dual-purpose carbonate/hydroxide facilityExpansion · source

Country risk · Chile

Policy risk: Medium As of 24 Oct 2026

State-led model: Codelco holds 50% plus one share of NovaAndino Litio, which runs SQM's Salar de Atacama operations until 2060 (deal closed Dec 2025). source

Change history

Approved changes with their source · As of 24 Oct 2026
DateFieldChangeSource
24 Oct 2026VerifiedValues confirmedSQM Form 6-K: SQM Reports Earnings for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2026 (SEC EDGAR, 18 Aug 2026)
24 Oct 2026OwnerSQM → Nova Andino Litio (Novandino), joint company of SQM and CodelcoSQM Form 6-K: SQM Reports Earnings for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2026 (SEC EDGAR, 18 Aug 2026)
24 Oct 2026Notesnew: Novandino is converting the Chilean LiOH plant into a dual carbonate/hydroxide facility, due by mid-2027.SQM Form 6-K: SQM Reports Earnings for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2026 (SEC EDGAR, 18 Aug 2026)
24 Oct 2026Capacity~210 kt LCE → Novandino total (not Carmen alone): 2026 guidance 280–290 kt LCE incl. sulfate refined in China; >300 kt LCE capacity by end-2027SQM Form 6-K: SQM Reports Earnings for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2026 (SEC EDGAR, 18 Aug 2026)
24 Oct 2026Milestonenew: H1 2027 · LiOH plant converted to dual-purpose carbonate/hydroxide facility Expansion ExpectedSQM Form 6-K: SQM Reports Earnings for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2026 (SEC EDGAR, 18 Aug 2026)

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