REG - CleanTech Lithium - Agreement for Co-Developed Mining Model

Cleantech LithiumAnnouncement

12/12/2023 07:00

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RNS Number : 4075W  CleanTech Lithium PLC  12 December 2023

Joint Press Release

12 December 2023

 

CleanTech Lithium PLC ("CleanTech Lithium" or "CTL" or the "Company")

Signs Unprecedented Alliance with Indigenous Communities to

Co-Develop Sustainable Lithium Projects in the Atacama Region

 

Copiapó, 12 December 2023: CleanTech Lithium PLC (AIM:CTL, Frankfurt:T2N,
OTCQX:CTLHF), an exploration and development company advancing sustainable
lithium projects in Chile for the clean energy transition, and representatives
of the Colla territorial communities from the high Andean region of Atacama,
announced a ground-breaking agreement for the first co-created mining model
for lithium extraction in Chile. The alliance, which has been formed from
early consultation, will initially focus on the development of the Laguna
Verde project.

The announcement was made during the Company's Board of Directors' visit to
the region by Aldo Boitano, Chief Executive Officer of CTL, alongside Ercilia
Araya Altamirano, Ancestral Authority of the Colla Pai-Ote community, and
representatives from the Río Jorquera and Pastos Grandes communities.

The alliance will ensure that the extraction processes conducted in the region
by the Company comply with the highest international standards, including a
process of early consultation with the communities to see their direct
participation by providing data for the environmental baselines required for
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This agreement will acknowledge the
ancestral settlements and use of the lands to develop a lithium industry
grounded in sustainability principles.

Image 1: Presenting the signed alliance between CleanTech Lithium and the
local communities at CTL's office in Copiapó. Left to right: Marcela
Sepúlveda Community Relations Manager at CTL, Steve Kesler Executive Chairman
at CTL, Christian Milla from the Pastos Grandes community, Ercilia Araya
Altamirano from the Colla Pai-Ote community, Aldo Boitano CEO at CTL, and
Roberto Carlos Salinas from the Río Jorquera community

Highlights:

·     CleanTech Lithium and the local territorial communities have created
the first-ever alliance in the region to co-design a mining project which will
inform the proper development of the Company's most advanced lithium projects
in the Atacama Region, initially focusing on Laguna Verde.

·     The communities will support the generation of the Environmental
Impact Study (EIS) and contribute to the Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA), providing vital information for baseline measurements and assist the
overall study concerning the human environment, flora, fauna, and other
relevant aspects.

·    CleanTech Lithium will contribute to the socio-economic development of
the region and commits, as the Laguna Verde project develops, to continuously
share information with local communities to establish a long-term trusting
relationship.

·   The agreement aligns with the priorities set by the Chilean Government
to advance the objectives in the National Lithium Strategy and inform the
Special Lithium Operation Contracts (CEOLs) having established an early
dialogue, commitment, and support from local communities.

Image 2: Ancestral leader, Ercilia Araya Altamirano, from the Colla Pai-Ote
community

signs joint working alliance with CleanTech Lithium

 

Ercilia Araya Altamirano, Ancestral Authority of the Colla Pai-Ote community,
said: "There is no precedent in the history of our territories where the door
has been opened for us directly to participate in the design of a mining
project to ensure it aligns with the ancestral inhabitants of the territory.
This marks a historic milestone in our country, and we assume the
responsibility to turn it into a new standard for lithium mining in the
future."

Aldo Boitano, Chief Executive Officer of CleanTech Lithium, added: "This is
the first alliance founded in early consultation with local communities in
lithium extraction in Chile. We are very proud to be working with the local
communities and strengthening our relationships which will allow us to
continue building a unique model that places people and the Planet at the
center. This is how we aim to make a positive impact as CleanTech Lithium
grows."

"The alliance between CleanTech Lithium and the local communities represents a
significant step forward in the co-design of our projects, providing data for
our environmental baselines and the creation of long-term socio-economic
benefits for the region in which we operate. This agreement demonstrates how
seriously we take the agenda set in the Government's National Lithium
Strategy, proving that goals can be achieved and project development can be
done in a more considerate way."

Working Group, Timely Information, and Benefits

The alliance establishes a relationship between both parties to develop
lithium projects in the Atacama Region, such as Laguna Verde, through the
creation of a joint working group between CTL and the communities. This group
will maintain a process of early and ongoing dialogue as the project enters
the Environmental Evaluation System, which is part of the EIA.

It includes the exchange of information and proposals between the communities
and CleanTech Lithium and maintaining a long-term relationship based on mutual
respect, dialogue, and trust. Through this collaboration, the agreement seeks
to identify and promote opportunities for local community development, as well
as create conditions for cooperation and monitoring of socio-environmental
issues associated with CTL's projects.

Once the corresponding CEOLs for the Company's projects are obtained,
CleanTech Lithium has committed to contribute to the development to the
territorial indigenous communities, through directly related and specific
funds to finance projects related to their development.

Ercilia Araya Altamirano, Ancestral Authority of the Colla Pai-Ote community,
concluded: "CleanTech Lithium has been the only company to approach us seeking
an alliance for prior and early consultation and relationship with the
territory, on a basis of respect. It is valuable because we are learning and
understanding the realities of each sector and each project as they represent
different ecosystems. They also have a new technology that has demonstrated
how they will extract lithium. We discovered that it is modern, good, and may
have less impact."

Image 3: Community Relations Manager at CTL, Marcela Sepúlveda, remarks on
the alliance between the Company and the local communities. Local media and
key local stakeholders were in attendance.

 

 

Image 4: CleanTech Lithium's Board of Directors at the opening event to
announce

the local community alliance alongside Ercilia Araya Altamirano from the Colla
Pai-Ote community

 

 **ENDS**

For further information contact:

 CleanTech Lithium PLC
 Aldo Boitano/Gordon Stein                     Jersey office: +44 (0) 1534 668 321

                                               Chile office: +562-32239222
                                               Or via Celicourt
 Celicourt                                     +44 (0) 20 7770 6424
 Felicity Winkles/Philip Dennis/Ali AlQahtani  cleantech@celicourt.uk

 Dr. Reuter - Germany                          +49 69 1532 5857

 Dr. Eva Reuter

 Harbor Access - North America                 +1 475 477 9401

 Jonathan Paterson/Lisa Micali

 Porter Novelli - Chile                        +569 65194447

 Ernesto Escobar                               Ernesto@publicoporternovelli.cl

 Beaumont Cornish Limited

 (Nominated Adviser)                           +44 (0) 207 628 3396

 Roland Cornish/Asia Szusciak

 Fox-Davies Capital Limited                    +44 (0) 20 3884 8450

 (Joint Broker)

 Daniel Fox-Davies                             daniel@fox-davies.com (mailto:daniel@fox-davies.com)

 Canaccord Genuity Limited                     +44 (0) 207 523 4680

 (Joint Broker)

 James Asensio

CleanTech Lithium PLC

 

Aldo Boitano/Gordon Stein

Jersey office: +44 (0) 1534 668 321

Chile office: +562-32239222

 

Or via Celicourt

 

Celicourt

+44 (0) 20 7770 6424

 

Felicity Winkles/Philip Dennis/Ali AlQahtani

cleantech@celicourt.uk

 

 

Dr. Reuter - Germany

Dr. Eva Reuter

 

Harbor Access - North America

Jonathan Paterson/Lisa Micali

 

Porter Novelli - Chile

Ernesto Escobar

 

Beaumont Cornish Limited

(Nominated Adviser)

Roland Cornish/Asia Szusciak

 

+49 69 1532 5857

 

 

+1 475 477 9401

 

 

+569 65194447

Ernesto@publicoporternovelli.cl

 

 

+44 (0) 207 628 3396

 

 

Fox-Davies Capital Limited

(Joint Broker)

Daniel Fox-Davies

Canaccord Genuity Limited

(Joint Broker)

James Asensio

 

 

+44 (0) 20 3884 8450

 

daniel@fox-davies.com (mailto:daniel@fox-davies.com)

+44 (0) 207 523 4680

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About CleanTech Lithium PLC

CleanTech Lithium (AIM:CTL, Frankfurt:T2N, OTCQX:CTLHF) is an exploration and
development company advancing sustainable lithium projects in Chile for the
clean energy transition. Committed to net-zero, CleanTech Lithium's mission is
to produce material quantities of battery grade using sustainable Direct
Lithium Extraction technology, powered by renewable energy, the Company plan
to be the leading supplier of 'green' close to zero carbon lithium to the EV
and battery manufacturing market.

CleanTech Lithium has four lithium projects - Laguna Verde, Francisco Basin,
Llamara and Salar de Atacama - located in the lithium triangle, the world's
centre for battery grade lithium production. The two major projects: Laguna
Verde and Francisco Basin are situated within basins controlled by the
Company, which affords significant potential development and operational
advantages. All four projects have direct access to existing infrastructure
and renewable power.

CleanTech Lithium is committed to using renewable power for processing and
reducing the environmental impact of its lithium production by utilising
Direct Lithium Extraction. Direct Lithium Extraction is a transformative
technology which removes lithium from brine, with higher recoveries and
purities. The method offers short development lead times, low upfront capex,
with no extensive site construction and no evaporation pond development so
there is no water depletion from the aquifer. www.ctlithium.com
(http://www.ctlithium.com/)

 

About the Participating Communities

The Colla are a legally recognised Indigenous People who live in the Atacama
Region of northern Chile. Communities that identify themselves as Colla are
located in the zones of Potrerillos, Inca de Oro, Quebrada de Paipote, San
Miguel and San Andrés, and by the Jorquera River, which correspond to the
municipalities of Chañaral, Copiapó and Tierra Amarilla, in Atacama
Region. As pastoralists, the Colla migrate with their livestock through the
high Andean valleys, moving between the cool mountain pastures in the warm
seasons and lower altitude wetlands in colder months. The Colla's traditional
economy is based on herding and, to a lesser degree, agriculture.

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