A Chilean appeals court ordered the suspension of a lithium contracts auction after requests from the regional governor of the Atacama region and local indigenous communities, Reuters reported Jan. 17.
The suspension comes shortly after Chile awarded quotas of about 80,000 tonnes of lithium to Chinese automobile manufacturer BYD Co. Ltd. and local firm Servicios y Operaciones Mineras del Norte for an aggregate of more than $120 million, according to the report.
The Santiago Appeals Court had previously rejected a legal challenge by some lawmakers to halt the government's bidding process for the lithium mining contracts, saying the appeal was filed too late.
