Albemarle highlights the role of stakeholder participation, especially Atacama communities, in consultation processes on relevant projects and activities in our operations. Thus, with respect to the closure plan:
Unless otherwise provided for in local regulations, prior to the commencement of construction of new projects, and prior to completion of the final closure plan and Albemarle will provide interested parties with at least 60 days to comment on the closure plan.
In addition, it will provide capacity building and training to enable meaningful stakeholder participation.
Albemarle will review and update the closure plan and/or financial guarantee when there is a significant change to the plan, but at least every 5 years and, at the request of stakeholders, will provide them with a report on the progress progress of the closure if warranted.
The most recent version of the closure plan, including the results of all updates to the closure plan, will be publicly available as will all approved financial guarantee reviews, with the exception of confidential business information, and will be made available to interested parties upon request.
In 2010, Albemarle presented to the National Geology and Mining Service the Closure Plan for the La Negra Chemical Plant and the Salar de Atacama Plant, which was approved through Exempt Resolution No. 781, then within the framework of compliance with Law No. 20,551, in 2016 it obtained Exempt Resolution No. 631 for the approval of its Closure Plan under a transitory regime. and was updated and approved in 2019 through Exempt Resolution No. 287. In May 2023, the update of the Closure Plan was approved through Exempt Resolution No. 865, which was rectified in July 2023 through Exempt Resolution No. 1288.
The Update of the Albemarle Closure Plan for its Salar and La Negra plants arises from the modification of the environmentally approved projects in accordance with the provisions of the Environmental Qualification Resolutions (RCA's) No. 279/2017 related to the La Negra Plant Expansion – Phase 3 and No. 077/2019, related to the Modification of the La Negra Plant Expansion Project – Phase 3, both associated with the La Negra Plant and the first also with the Salar Plant.
The mining operations that are part of Albemarle correspond to the Salar de Atacama Plant and La Negra Plant and the works and facilities that will be part of this update of the Closure Plan, are indicated in the following diagram:
