Salar de Atacama (Albemarle): a lithium operation in Chile
Salar de Atacama (Albemarle) is a brine operation producing lithium in the Salar de Atacama, Antofagasta Region, Chile, operated by Albemarle. The sources report 14 thousand tonnes lithium metal (Li content) for CY2025; the basis is 100% (Albemarle owns 100%). In lithium content, whole-operation output for CY2025 is 14,000 tonnes: about 4.8% of world lithium output in 2025 and about 25% of Chile's; it is one of 8 operations on this site whose output can be stated in lithium content.
Who owns and operates it?
| Owner | Interest | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Albemarle | 100% | 31 December 2025 |
How much does it produce?
| Period | Output | Basis | Where in the source |
|---|---|---|---|
| CY2025 | 14 thousand tonnes lithium metal (Li content) | 100% (Albemarle owns 100%) | Item 2 Properties, 'Aggregate Annual Production' table (printed p.35), Salar de Atacama row · Albemarle Corporation (SEC EDGAR) |
| CY2024 | 13 thousand tonnes lithium metal (Li content) | Whole operation | Item 2 Properties, 'Aggregate Annual Production' table (printed p.35), Salar de Atacama row · Albemarle Corporation (SEC EDGAR) |
Between CY2024 and CY2025 the reported figure rose by 7.7%, in the same unit and on the same basis.
How the lithium-content figure is worked out. Albemarle reports 14 thousand tonnes of lithium metal for the operation, rounded to the nearest thousand tonnes. World mine production of lithium in 2025 was 290,000 tonnes (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026); Chile produced 56,000 tonnes.
Status: operating, as of 31 December 2025.
How does it compare?
Other lithium operations on this site: Greenbushes, Pilgangoora, Wodgina, Kathleen Valley, Salar de Atacama (SQM), Cauchari-Olaroz, Goulamina, Qarhan salt lake (Qinghai Salt Lake Industry). In Chile: Salar de Atacama (SQM). See where lithium comes from for the country totals, the country page for Chile, and Albemarle for its other operations here.
Sources
- Albemarle Corporation (SEC EDGAR): Form 10-K for fiscal year ended 31 December 2025 (annual report (10-K), CY2025 (with CY2024, CY2023 comparatives)). Opened 3 November 2026; used: cover; Item 2 Properties (printed pp.32-45): mineral extraction sites table p.34, Aggregate Annual Production table p.35, Greenbushes, Wodgina and Salar de Atacama property sections; Item 1 / MD&A MARBL restructuring text.
- U.S. Geological Survey: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Lithium (government statistical summary, 2025 (world and country mine production)). Opened 3 November 2026; used: world and country mine production table.
Method and limits
- Reported, not estimated. Output is the figure the operator or owner published, in the unit it used. This site does not estimate output where none is published.
- Shares. A share divides output in lithium content by the USGS world or country total for 2025. Where the operator's year is a fiscal year or the unit is a concentrate or a carbonate equivalent, the share is approximate or not given.
- Whole operation or owner's share. The basis column says which. A joint venture's output is never counted twice.
- Partial list. Only operations with a published figure are listed, so the rank is among those on this site, not among every lithium mine. Shares of a country's output mix periods and bases, so treat them as indicative.
- Made with AI assistance, checked against sources. The facts were gathered from the documents above by AI-assisted research and re-checked against those documents by a second, independent pass; the page text is generated from the data. No professional review took place. How the site is made. To report an error, contact us; fixes are logged on the corrections page.