CleanTech Lithium PLC (AIM:CTL, OTCQX:CTLHF) (CTL) has signed an agreement with the Colla territorial communities from the high Andean region of Atacama in what it said is the first co-created mining model for lithium extraction in Chile.
The groundbreaking alliance will initially focus on the development of the Laguna Verde project.
Announced during a visit to the area by Aldo Boitano, CTL’s chief executive, it was signed also by Ercilia Araya Altamirano, Ancestral Authority of the Colla Pai-Ote community, and representatives from the Río Jorquera and Pastos Grandes communities.
Under the agreement, local communities will directly participate in providing data for the environmental baselines required for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Boitano said: “This is the first alliance founded in early consultation with local communities in lithium extraction in Chile.
“The alliance between CleanTech Lithium and the local communities represents a significant step forward in the co-design of our projects, providing data for our environmental baselines and the creation of long-term socio-economic benefits for the region in which we operate.
“This agreement demonstrates how seriously we take the agenda set in the Government’s National Lithium Strategy, proving that goals can be achieved and project development can be done in a more considerate way.”
Ercilia Araya Altamirano, Ancestral Authority of the Colla Pai-Ote community, added: “There is no precedent in the history of our territories where the door has been opened for us directly to participate in the design of a mining project to ensure it aligns with the ancestral inhabitants of the territory.
“This marks a historic milestone in our country, and we assume the responsibility to turn it into a new standard for lithium mining in the future.”
Source: Proactive Investor
