Santiago-SQM (Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA) said July 24 that it plans to spend $1 billion in the next three years on capital expenditure projects, with $350 million of that being spent in 2008. Primary investments include capacity increases for its potassium-based products at the Salar de Atacama project, where current capacity is 820,000 mt of potassium chloride and potassium sulfate. SQM expects to increase capacity of these products by 250,000 mt. SQM also plans a new potassium nitrate plant at Coya Sur, which would increase capacity by 300,000 mt/y and is estimated to be operational by third quarter 2010. SQM will also invest in iodine and nitrate capacity increases at Nueva Victoria and Pampa Blanca over the next four years. It expects those capacities to increase 25 percent. SQM will increase lithium carbonate capacity by 30,000 mt/y to 40,000 mt/y, expected during third quarter 2008.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain