Chilean lithium producer Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM) sold 15% less lithium carbonate quarter-on-quarter in July-September 2018, it said in an announcement preceding its third-quarter earnings statement.
A delay to the ramp-up process at SQM's lithium operations at Antofagasta in Chile, and logistical challenges created by low inventory levels, were the core reasons behind the reduced volume of lithium compounds sold, it added.Completion and ramp-up of the plant took five weeks longer than expected, SQM said, although it had not specified what this time period would be. This was due to the time needed for calibration and fine-tuning of some of the new components, with the result that the volume of battery-grade lithium carbonate produced in the third quarter was 4,000 tonnes less than expected."It has been an ambitious project that, in a short timeframe, has overcome technical and operational challenges [and now] allows us not only to increase our sales volumes, but also to meet the lithium quality standards required by our customers,"...