"CHILEAN COURT FREEZES BYD’S LITHIUM MINING BID OVER ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS," 18 January 2022

A local court of Chile suspended a USD61m lithium mining contract between Chile and Chinese electric vehicle (EV) and battery company BYD over environmental and economic development concerns... The suspension came on January 14, just two days after BYD’s Chilean arm won the bid to extract 80,000 tons of lithium per year over a 20-year period... The Court of Appeals Copiapó accepted a lawsuit filed by the Atacama regional government as well as indigenous communities from the region against the mining tender and demanded the mining minister submit corresponding reports within ten days...