Chile's First New Lithium Project PFS (CleanTech Lithium)

In this episode of Rock Stock Channel, host Howard interviews Ignacio Mehech, CEO of Cleantech Lithium, about the company's groundbreaking Laguna Verde lithium project in Chile. Mehech, a former country manager at Albemarle in Chile, shares his deep industry experience and passion for Chile’s lithium future, emphasizing the country’s potential for a new era of private-sector lithium development. The discussion centers on Cleantech’s recently released Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS), which outlines a 25-year project life with 15,000 tons per year of lithium carbonate production via direct lithium extraction (DLE), post-tax MPB of $950 million, and an IRR of over 21%. The company has secured a 40-year operating contract with the Chilean government—the first ever awarded to a private company—alongside a competitive royalty structure. Mehech underscores the strategic importance of DLE for low-grade brines like Laguna Verde’s, citing successful pilot testing with Lanshance resins and a highly efficient, off-the-shelf flow sheet. He also highlights Chile’s improving regulatory environment, infrastructure advantages over Argentina, and plans for an ASX listing in Q3 2026 to unlock broader investor access and valuation alignment with peers. The episode concludes with Mehech’s vision for Laguna Verde as a centralized processing hub for future regional projects, positioning Cleantech as a first-mover in a revitalized Chilean lithium landscape.