Lithium investors need not fear a govt takeover

Big profits: A worker looks at melting copper in the foundry of the Chuquicamata copper mine, in Santiago, Chile. The country is the largest producer and exporter of copper in the world. — AFP

THERE’S nothing that gets private investors more alarmed than the prospect of nationalisation.

So it’s little wonder that mining companies are taking fright at plans announced in Chile last month to give the state more control over production of lithium, a crucial ingredient in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and power plants.