Wealth Minerals and Voith join forces on the Pabellón Lithium Project
Wealth Minerals Ltd. and Voith have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop the Pabellón Lithium Project in northern Chile jointly with the Quechua Indigenous Community of Ollagüe (CIQO) and further partners.
About the Pabellón Lithium Project
The Chilean Ministry of Mining has included Pabellón on its shortlist for awarding a Special Lithium Operation Contract (CEOL), based on its promising geological features and strong environmental profile. The Pabellón Lithium Project, an exploration initiative by Wealth Minerals, covers 26 mineral exploration licenses totaling approximately 7,600 hectares in Region II of northern Chile, near the border with Bolivia and about 70 kilometers south of the Ollagüe salar.
Under the terms of this MoU, Voith owns 5% of Wealth’s portfolio of mineral exploration licenses in the area. Voith will bring its know-how and existing partnerships to bear on an application for a CEOL, which will allow the partners to move forward with potentially developing a lithium recovery circuit on the thermal power generation station “Cerro Pabellón” subject to reaching an agreement with the existing operator, or eventually developing a separate lithium extraction operation in its mining concessions. As lithium is essential for battery-based energy storage systems, Voith aims to contribute to the development of diverse and future-oriented storage solutions — including both batteries and pumped storage — that are key to enabling the global energy transition.
Innovative lithium extraction method
The partners plan to implement Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE), an innovative method that isolates lithium directly from brine without the need for large evaporation ponds. The process is faster, consumes less water, and has a smaller environmental footprint. It yields high-purity lithium compounds suitable for battery production.
Hendrik van Alphen, Wealth’s CEO, said, “Direct Lithium Extraction is a forward-looking technology that enables efficient and environmentally sound lithium recovery – a key element in the global shift toward sustainable energy. We are pleased to work with Voith Hydro and other collaborators to apply this approach at the Pabellón Lithium Project.”
Jan Lüder, President & CEO Voith Hydro, said: “We are pleased to support this opportunity in Chile and to contribute our expertise in energy systems that contribute to a renewable energy transition. Having equipped the Los Condores hydropower plant — a project that helped build trusted partnerships in the country — we look forward to working with all Chilean partners on the Pabellón Lithium project.”
Further information:
Voith GmbH & Co. KGaA
www.voith.com
