en.Wedoany.com Reported - Former Chilean Mining Minister Aurora Williams stated that South American countries possess critical and strategic minerals, which can enhance the region's potential in the global energy transition.

Williams noted that the geographical region formed by these countries concentrates over 60% of the world's reserves of such minerals.

She said that lithium has a very significant energy storage capacity, while Chile and Peru are major producers of copper, the mineral with the best electrical conductivity, and lithium is the mineral with the best energy storage performance.

Speaking about her country's experience, Williams said that Chile designed and promoted the National Lithium Strategy (Estrategia Nacional del Litio), a model aimed at expanding the production of this metal through strategic and sustainable public-private partnerships.

Williams emphasized that strategic minerals must be viewed in a coordinated manner, as the issue involves not only extraction but also environmental and social balance.

She stated that Chile has shifted toward responsible mining while simultaneously winning the trust of major public and private investors.

Williams pointed out that if the lithium resources of Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, and possibly Peru are combined, they would account for over 50% of global lithium resources, making cooperation and complementarity between countries crucial for transforming this into regional strength.

She said that the current critical minerals market is very active, with copper and lithium becoming base metals, while other minerals such as rare earths, cobalt, gold, silver, and rhenium may also be available, and the geological wealth is undeniable.