CleanTech Lithium – executive interview

In this interview, CleanTech Lithium CEO Ignacio Mehech discusses the company’s transition from lithium explorer to developer, cantered on its flagship Laguna Verde project in Chile. He highlights two major milestones: the award of a Special Lithium Operating Contract, which provides a clear regulatory pathway for development, and the publication of a pre-feasibility study that demonstrates the project’s strong economics and long-term production potential. Mehech explains how direct lithium extraction differentiates CleanTech Lithium from traditional evaporation-based producers, offering faster processing, higher recovery, reduced land use and brine reinjection to help minimise environmental impact. The interview also covers the company’s pilot-plant progress, production of battery-grade lithium carbonate, engagement with local and indigenous communities and the importance of securing a strategic partner at project level. Mehech sets out the roadmap towards an environmental impact study, final investment decision in 2028 and first production around 2030–31, while positioning Laguna Verde, Viento Andino and Arenas Blancas as the basis for a wider lithium district in Chile.