Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Mining · Chile · 2019–2026

Salar de Atacama lithium extraction

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured. Disputed
What the record lacks: 2 none on record · 8 insufficient · 1 not measured · 3 disputed See the gaps
Accounts of the harm differ
Is a site rated under a responsible-mining standard consistent with the regulator's findings on brine extraction?
  • Standard-setters and registries IRMA: Rated Albemarle's Atacama site IRMA 50 after an assessment from September 2021 to April 2022. Mining Technology
  • Company or project Albemarle: Said the site met 70% of more than 400 requirements. Mining Technology
  • Government and regulators SMA (Chile's environmental regulator): Found brine extraction above the permitted limit, average 452.3 litres per second, October 2019 to September 2020, and non-compliance with the early-warning plan. El Desconcierto
  • Courts First Environmental Court: Upheld the SMA penalty of 4,713 UTA on 30 September 2026 (as reported by El Desconcierto). El Desconcierto
Is lithium extraction affecting the salt flat and its water?
  • Researchers Universidad de Chile (as reported by BioBioChile): The south-western part of the salt flat sank 1–2 cm a year in 2020–2023; groundwater fell by more than 10 metres in 15 years. BioBioChile
  • Communities and civil society CPA, representing 18 communities: Filed a complaint over the sinking of the salt flat. Mongabay Latam
  • Communities and civil society Atacameño Peoples' Council: Questioned the Codelco–SQM alliance and objected to water extraction until 2060. Cooperativa
  • Communities and civil society Indigenous groups: Withdrew from dialogue with Codelco and SQM over lithium in April 2024, fearing water scarcity. El Desconcierto

Albemarle and SQM extract lithium brine from the Salar de Atacama in Chile; SQM and the state company Codelco have formed a joint company to operate there to 2060. Albemarle's site received a responsible-mining rating and, separately, a regulator's penalty for brine extraction above its limit, which a court upheld in September 2026.

4,713 UTAAlbemarle's penalty for brine extraction above its limit
About CLP 4,056 million, as stated in the sources; upheld by the First Environmental Court on 30 September 2026.

Status As of 30 September 2026: the First Environmental Court upheld the SMA's penalty on Albemarle; the Codelco–SQM joint company created in December 2025 is to operate Atacama lithium extraction until 2060.

What?
Albemarle and SQM extract lithium brine from the Salar de Atacama. Albemarle's site received IRMA 50 and a regulator's penalty for brine extraction above its permitted limit, which the First Environmental Court upheld on 30 September 2026. El Desconcierto
Where?
Salar de Atacama, northern Chile. BioBioChile
When?
Excess extraction October 2019 to September 2020; IRMA assessment September 2021 to April 2022; court ruling 30 September 2026; joint company created December 2025. El Desconcierto
Who?
Gained
  • Albemarle — Reported 2022 net income of about $2.69 billion (company-wide). Kitco
  • SQM — Reported 2022 net income of $3.906 billion, up 567% (company-wide). Kitco
  • Codelco (state) — Holds 50% plus one share of Nova Andino Litio, created in December 2025. El Mostrador (EFE)
  • Chilean state — Collected more than $7.3 billion in lithium revenue in 2012–2023, according to NRGI. Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)
  • ERM CVS — Audited Albemarle and SQM for IRMA; audit fees are paid by the mining companies (amounts not given in the record). Investigate Europe
Lost
None on record
Harmed
  • Atacameño communities — The CPA, representing 18 communities, filed a complaint over subsidence; groups withdrew from dialogue over water scarcity. Mongabay Latam
  • Salar de Atacama — South-western part sank 1–2 cm a year in 2020–2023; groundwater fell by more than 10 metres in 15 years (Universidad de Chile, as reported by BioBioChile). BioBioChile
Why?
The regulator's finding concerns brine extraction above the permitted limit and non-compliance with an early-warning plan. El Desconcierto
How?
Brine is extracted from the salt flat under permits; the SMA sanctioned Albemarle and the First Environmental Court reviewed the penalty. The IRMA assessments were carried out by ERM CVS and paid for by the mining companies. Investigate Europe
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

The Salar de Atacama in northern Chile hosts lithium brine operations of Albemarle and SQM. In December 2025 the state copper company Codelco and SQM created a joint company, Nova Andino Litio, in which the state holds 50% plus one share. The joint company is to operate Atacama lithium extraction until 2060.

Albemarle's Atacama site was assessed under the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) between September 2021 and April 2022 and received IRMA 50. The auditor was ERM CVS. Albemarle said it met 70% of more than 400 requirements. SQM received IRMA 75, also audited by ERM CVS. Investigate Europe reported in November 2023 that mining companies pay the audit fees, that ERM CVS is one of two approved auditors and is owned by the private-equity firm KKR, that four audits had been completed against 5,097 transition-mineral projects, and that the SQM audit interviewed eight people from four communities.

Chile's environmental regulator, the SMA, found that brine extraction at Albemarle's site exceeded the permitted limit, at an average of 452.3 litres per second, between October 2019 and September 2020, and that an early-warning plan was not followed. It imposed a penalty of 4,713 UTA, about CLP 4,056 million. El Desconcierto reported that the First Environmental Court upheld the penalty on 30 September 2026.

Universidad de Chile researchers, as reported by BioBioChile in August 2024, found that the south-western part of the salt flat sank 1–2 cm a year in 2020–2023 and that groundwater fell by more than 10 metres in 15 years. The CPA, representing 18 communities, filed a complaint. In April 2024 indigenous groups withdrew from a dialogue with Codelco and SQM over lithium, fearing water scarcity, and the Atacameño Peoples' Council objected to water extraction until 2060.

For 2022, SQM reported net income of $3.906 billion, up 567%, and Albemarle about $2.69 billion. The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) reported that the Chilean state collected more than $7.3 billion in lithium revenue in 2012–2023.

  1. 2019October: start of the period in which the SMA found brine extraction above the permitted limit (to September 2020)
  2. 2021September: IRMA assessment of Albemarle's Atacama site begins (to April 2022); the site receives IRMA 50
  3. 2022SQM reports net income of $3.906 billion (+567%); Albemarle about $2.69 billion
  4. 2023June: Mining Technology reports Albemarle's IRMA 50; November: Investigate Europe reports on the IRMA audits; December: Atacameño Peoples' Council questions the Codelco–SQM alliance
  5. 2024April: indigenous groups withdraw from dialogue with Codelco and SQM; August: Universidad de Chile subsidence findings reported; November: CPA complaint over subsidence reported
  6. 2025December: Codelco and SQM create Nova Andino Litio, with extraction to 2060
  7. 202630 September: First Environmental Court upholds the SMA penalty on Albemarle

What was said

Claims, in the words of those who made them.

Where accounts differ

Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.

Is a site rated under a responsible-mining standard consistent with the regulator's findings on brine extraction?
Standard-setters and registries
IRMA

Rated Albemarle's Atacama site IRMA 50 after an assessment from September 2021 to April 2022.

Mining Technology
Company or project
Albemarle

Said the site met 70% of more than 400 requirements.

Mining Technology
Government and regulators
SMA (Chile's environmental regulator)

Found brine extraction above the permitted limit, average 452.3 litres per second, October 2019 to September 2020, and non-compliance with the early-warning plan.

El Desconcierto
Courts
First Environmental Court

Upheld the SMA penalty of 4,713 UTA on 30 September 2026 (as reported by El Desconcierto).

El Desconcierto
Is lithium extraction affecting the salt flat and its water?
Researchers
Universidad de Chile (as reported by BioBioChile)

The south-western part of the salt flat sank 1–2 cm a year in 2020–2023; groundwater fell by more than 10 metres in 15 years.

BioBioChile
Communities and civil society
CPA, representing 18 communities

Filed a complaint over the sinking of the salt flat.

Mongabay Latam
Communities and civil society
Atacameño Peoples' Council

Questioned the Codelco–SQM alliance and objected to water extraction until 2060.

Cooperativa
Communities and civil society
Indigenous groups

Withdrew from dialogue with Codelco and SQM over lithium in April 2024, fearing water scarcity.

El Desconcierto
How independent is the certification of the sites?
Press and investigations
Investigate Europe

Mining companies pay the audit fees; one of the two approved auditors, ERM CVS, is owned by KKR; four audits had been completed against 5,097 transition-mineral projects.

Investigate Europe
Standard-setters and registries
IRMA (public report on the SQM audit, as cited by Investigate Europe)

The report records interviews with eight people from four communities.

Investigate Europe

How it looked

What was shown, beside what was recorded.

Shown

  • IRMA 50 rating for Albemarle's Atacama site, assessed September 2021 to April 2022 with ERM CVS as auditor
    IRMA, as reported by Mining Technology · Mining Technology
  • IRMA 75 rating for SQM's Atacama operations
    IRMA, as reported by Investigate Europe · Investigate Europe

Recorded

  • Brine extraction above the permitted limit, average 452.3 litres per second, October 2019 to September 2020; early-warning plan not followed; penalty of 4,713 UTA upheld on 30 September 2026.
    El Desconcierto
  • The south-western part of the salt flat sank 1–2 cm a year in 2020–2023; groundwater fell by more than 10 metres in 15 years.
    BioBioChile
  • The SQM audit interviewed eight people from four communities; audit fees are paid by the mining companies.
    Investigate Europe

Who gained

Money that reached nature, beside money that stayed elsewhere.

Reached nature or the ground

Not published
No figure published.

Gained elsewhere

Not totalled
Albemarle: 2022 net income (company-wide, not lithium-specific)≈ $2.7bn
Kitco, March 2023, citing Albemarle's filing.
SQM: 2022 net income (company-wide)$3.9bn
Kitco, March 2023; up 567% on the previous year.
Currency: USD · Window: 2022. All figures cover the same period. * Estimate built from cited figures.

Responses on record

  • Albemarle (June 2023): Said its Atacama site met 70% of more than 400 IRMA requirements. · Mining Technology

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

  1. 2026-09-30Claimant wonUTA 4.71bn 4,713 UTA (about CLP 4,056 million)
    SMA penalty on Albemarle for brine extraction above the permitted limit
    First Environmental Court (Chile) · Administrative · Superintendencia del Medio Ambiente (SMA) → Albemarle

    The SMA found brine extraction above the permitted limit, average 452.3 litres per second, from October 2019 to September 2020, and failure to follow an early-warning plan. The court upheld the penalty on 30 September 2026, as reported by El Desconcierto. El Desconcierto

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

What nature saw

Outcomes measured on the ground, and nature's note.

Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.

Brine extraction above permitted limit
452.3 L/s average
October 2019 to September 2020; SMA finding, upheld by the First Environmental Court on 30 September 2026 (as reported by El Desconcierto)
Subsidence, south-west of the salt flat
1–2 cm a year
2020–2023, Universidad de Chile as reported by BioBioChile
Groundwater decline
more than 10 m in 15 years
Same study as reported by BioBioChile

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Court ruling exists

Nature

  • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
  • Disputed Is a site rated under a responsible-mining standard consistent with the regulator's findings on brine extraction?
  • Disputed Is lithium extraction affecting the salt flat and its water?

Figures

  • Insufficient Brine extraction over limit l s: SMA finding for October 2019 to September 2020;, the El Desconcierto page returned HTTP 403.
  • Insufficient Fines: About CLP 4,056 million; amount confirmed in reports of Reporte Minero and La Tercera.
  • Insufficient Subsidence cm per year: South-western part of the salt flat, 2020–2023; Universidad de Chile as reported by BioBioChile.
  • Insufficient Groundwater decline m: Over 15 years; same study.
  • Insufficient State lithium revenue: Chilean state lithium revenue 2012–2023, NRGI.

Accounts

  • Disputed How independent is the certification of the sites?

Record

  • None on record The El Desconcierto page reporting the court's confirmation of the penalty returned an error (HTTP 403) to the researchers; the amount was checked against reports of Reporte Minero and La Tercera, not full articles.
  • None on record The subsidence and groundwater figures, the NRGI revenue figures and the penalty amount rest on secondary summaries rather than the original documents.
  • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: a study found two flamingo species at the lithium site declined 10–12% over 11 years while numbers stayed steady on non-mining salt flats, and SQM objected (Mining.com/Reuters, 2022).
  • Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: Atacama indigenous communities sued SQM for drawing water without authorisation.
  • Insufficient The outcome of Tianqi's Supreme Court challenge to the Codelco–SQM partnership: not verified.

Did the harm stop?

Extraction continues: the Codelco–SQM joint company created in December 2025 is to operate Atacama lithium extraction until 2060.

Who paid?

The record shows one payment tied to the findings: Albemarle's penalty of 4,713 UTA, upheld on 30 September 2026.

Sources

Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations✓ Communities and civil society— Researchers

Press and investigations

  2. Albemarle IRMA Salar de Atacama
    Mining Technology · 2023-06
  3. Greenwashing fears: mining audit industry
    Investigate Europe · 2023-11-17

Communities and civil society

  1. Ingresos fiscales por litio en Chile
    Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) · 2024-05

Connected cases

Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
Terms used on this page

Law and courts

Environmental Court (Chile)
Chile's specialised courts that review environmental permits and decisions.

Science and environment

Groundwater
Water held underground in soil and rock, drawn through wells.

Carbon and conservation finance

Standard-setter and registry
An organisation that writes the rules for carbon credits, approves projects, and records when credits are issued and retired. Such bodies typically charge fees per credit.
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