Chile Copper Producers Begin Talks on Combining Smelter Efforts.

Chile's state copper companies, Codelco and Enami, are in talks to potentially combine their efforts to expand smelting capacity into a single project. This collaboration is part of President Gabriel Boric's government's priority to strengthen smelting capacity in the country. While building new smelters may not make business sense currently due to Chinese capacity and mine disruptions, there are sustainability and geopolitical factors at play as nations seek to enhance their presence in battery supply chains. Discussions between Enami and Codelco began after Enami sold its stake in the Quebrada Blanca mine to Codelco, with both companies exploring potential synergies and cooperation mechanisms in smelting and refining. [Extracted from the article]