CleanTech plans special lithium contract application in Chile
By Josh White
Date: Wednesday 31 Dec 2025
(Sharecast News) - CleanTech Lithium said in on Wednesday that it plans to submit an application for a special lithium operating contract in Chile in the near term, targeting a potential award in the second quarter of 2026, as it highlighted progress on resources, processing technology and stakeholder engagement in an end-of-year update from chief executive Ignacio Mehech.
The AIM-traded lithium developer said Chile's government had opened a streamlined process for new applications covering the Laguna Verde salar, with submissions due by the end of January.
CleanTech said it was confident its application would meet the criteria under Chile's National Lithium Strategy and noted that, if successful, a negotiating period would follow before a CEOL is awarded, which it expected could take place in the second quarter of next year.
The company said it would provide further detail on the process in January.
"Despite the challenging market conditions that we are all aware of, I'm proud to say that CleanTech Lithium has continued to develop its lithium projects in Chile, strengthen partnerships with leading companies around the world and nurtured our relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, from indigenous communities to shareholders," said Mehech, who joined the company in April.
The firm also highlighted an updated mineral resource estimate at its flagship Laguna Verde project, which now stood at 1.9 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent, including 0.84 million tonnes in the measured and indicated category at a grade of 178 milligrams per litre of lithium.
CleanTech Lithium said the upgraded resource would feed into its pre-feasibility study, which was scheduled to be published once the company has been accepted into the streamlined CEOL process.
On processing and technology development, CleanTech Lithium said it had continued test work on next-generation extraction and processing technologies aimed at improving efficiency and sustainability.
In January, the company announced the production of high-grade lithium carbonate from its pilot plant in Copiapó, producing an eight-kilogram sample that achieved 99.78% purity, exceeding the Chinese battery-grade standard of 99.6%.
Mehech said the company intended to continue and scale this work in 2026 to support discussions with potential strategic partners and to validate the end-to-end process outlined in the pre-feasibility study.
The group also pointed to progress in its collaboration with DuPont Water Solutions on nanofiltration membrane technology, which it said had shown promising results in impurity removal and lithium recovery, with the potential to reduce both capital and operating costs.
Initial results were published in July, with further test work planned in the new year.
Looking ahead, Mehech said the company's priorities for 2026 included advancing projects toward final investment decisions, expanding understanding of the resource base, deepening partnerships and securing the CEOL for Laguna Verde alongside publication of the pre-feasibility study.
"With a strengthened resource base, new technologies under evaluation, and continued support from international investors and locally with indigenous communities and the Chilean government, we are entering the new year with momentum and confidence," he said.
At 0821 GMT, shares in CleanTech Lithium were down 3.44% at 5.31p.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
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