en.Wedoany.com Reported - Chile's National Economic Prosecutor's Office (Fiscalía Nacional Económica, FNE) approved on July 17, 2026, a partnership between the National Mining Company (Empresa Nacional de Minería, Enami) and global mining group Rio Tinto to form a joint venture for the development of the Salares Altoandinos lithium project in the Atacama Region (Región de Atacama).
The National Economic Prosecutor's Office (FNE) is Chile's antitrust regulator responsible for maintaining market competition order, reviewing whether business activities such as mergers and joint ventures may adversely affect market competition. The FNE approved the partnership in a "pure and simple" (pura y simple) manner, meaning without any restrictive conditions. The approved joint venture, formed by Enami and Rio Tinto Chile Tres SpA, aims to develop the Salares Altoandinos lithium project.
Enami, a state-owned mining company established in 1960, primarily acquires and processes copper ore from small and medium-sized mining enterprises, selling copper concentrate and cathode copper after processing at its beneficiation plants. Enami currently does not engage in lithium mining and sales, but under Chile's National Lithium Strategy (Estrategia Nacional del Litio), it has been entrusted with developing the Salares Altoandinos project. Rio Tinto, a multinational mining group with global operations, possesses deep technical expertise and operational experience in the mining and sales of various minerals, including iron, aluminum, copper, and lithium.
Under the joint venture agreement, Rio Tinto will hold a 51% controlling stake, with Enami holding the remaining 49%. Rio Tinto will provide up to $425 million in financial and non-financial contributions for pre-feasibility studies, technology applications, and initial development phases of the project. The Salares Altoandinos lithium project covers mining rights for four salt flats—Aguilar, Los Infieles, Grande, and La Isla—in the Atacama Region.
The FNE's unconditional approval removes regulatory barriers for the substantive advancement of this public-private partnership project. As a key component of Chile's National Lithium Strategy, the project aims to drive the industrial development of the country's lithium resources by leveraging the capital and technology of an international mining giant. Rio Tinto previously estimated that the transaction would be completed in the first half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. With the antitrust review cleared, the project is one step closer to final implementation.
