Chile leader wants state to share in any lithium extraction

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chilean President Gabriel Boric has announced a plan to require private companies take Chile’s government on as a partner in the extraction of lithium, which is in high demand around the world for use in electric batteries. Boric said Thursday that the state will participate in the entire lithium production cycle in a “public-private collaboration” that the government will control. Chile has the world’s third largest lithium reserves, and was the second biggest producer of the mineral last year. Specialists estimate the demand for lithium will increase considerably in the next two decades due to the transition toward renewable energy around the globe and the fact that electric vehicles use lithium batteries.