Thank you Searay !! I suspect Will's ready to roll out the plan we've all been waiting for... I'm thinking uplist or uplist/merge,
JV, then buyout... (hope)
As I've said before... every day in the sernageomin sites new mines are being registered by the dozens... and last I looked there were close to 50 consortiums formed. Chile is prepping for it's COEL's:
(From a 2/10/2012 L*3 press release)
Over the last several days, numerous press releases have circulated in Chile outlining the government's plans to improve its worldwide competiveness. The Boost Competitive Agenda (a package of reforms to remove regulatory red tape, to encourage entrepreneurship, innovation, competition and boost productivity of the economy) is coordinated by the Office of Competiveness of the Ministry of Economy and was initiated in August 2011. With the bulk of the measures having already been met, on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012, the Office of Competitiveness introduced ten new measures to extend the government's commitment to ensure that development continues to reach Chile. According to the article, Pablo Longueira, the Minister of Economy, detailed each of the measures, including the seventh, "Re-launching the Chilean Lithium Industry," which specifically addresses lithium by: "Unlocking its restrictions and implementing mechanisms to improve competitiveness within the industry, promote further investment and protect the country's market-share and standing in the world lithium market."
Senior Chilean official, Pablo Wagner, Vice Minister of Mining, outlined the basis for how the country plans to address existing laws in order to allow the exploitation of lithium with the objective of maintaining Chile's leading lithium producer status. Among other things, Minister Wagner announced plans to conduct an auction for lithium production quotas and licenses (Special Lithium Operations Contracts, or CEOLs), in a manner that wouldn't require any changes to existing mining laws. The CEOLs to be tendered will be for 100,000 tons of lithium metal (approximately 530,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent), be valid for twenty years and consist of a yet to be determined upfront payment as well as a seven percent of sales royalty paid to the Chilean government. The Ministry of Mining has been preparing to issue CEOLs for well over a year and expects to issue the first CEOL the fourth quarter of 2012.
Wishing everyone a very happy Easter and Passover ~
; )
