In a move that will undoubtedly surprise many in the the lithium world, Joe Lowry and Eduardo Bitran sit down in Santiago to discuss the history of the “Drama in the Atacama.” Dr. Bitran shares his background – growing up in a small town in Northern Chile that led to a passion for public service and innovation. The discussion covers the history of CORFO and its relationship with SQM & Albemarle, background on how Chile’s royalty scheme for lithium was developed, and the royalty’s impact on the cost curve. Joe, Emily, and Dr. Bitran discuss the politics behind SQM and Julio Ponce, and Dr. Bitran’s views on Tianqi’s entrance into Chile. The three also review the current conflict between Chile and Albemarle over lithium pricing.

Dr. Bitran and Joe discover they agree on much more than they differ. There is even talk of a collaboration on a book and much more.

The Weekend read. We finished this article in a cab to the airport before flying to Chile to record a podcast with @eduardobitran. E27 will be online as soon as @elepiech finishes working her magic. @LithiumPodcast. Argentina and Lithium: A Reactive Pair https://t.co/eirrvkWpAF

— Joe Lowry (@globallithium) December 15, 2018

’s @Transantiago has deployed their new fleet of #ZeroEmission buses!@UN states that #LatinAmerica & Caribbean account for 10% of global emissions & have the greatest decarbonization potential in the

@GloriaHutt & @sebastianpinera #MejorTransporte #ZeroEmission #EV pic.twitter.com/tC0CvlH2Kj

— BYD (@BYDCompany) December 15, 2018