SQM Affiliate Halts Chilean Power Line Works

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. holds a 25% stake in Minera Capricornio SCM, which obtained a court order suspending construction of 16 high-voltage towers planned by Conexión Energía. The 4th Civil Court of Antofagasta issued the ruling on 28 August 2026, ordering work to stop under warning of demolition at the builder's expense.

Minera Capricornio is controlled by Mexican miner Fresnillo PLC through Fresnillo Chile SpA. The mining firm filed the legal action on 24 August 2026 through mining lawyer Cristián Quinzio. The company argued that earthworks and flag installations started on 11 August 2026 on its 3,159-hectare site in Sierra Gorda, sitting directly above mineral veins planned for exploration.

Capricornio has invested US$ 25 million to date in exploration and secured an environmental permit in June to drill roughly 700 drill holes ranging from 150 to 800 meters in depth. Its next phase begins in October, with operations extending through July 2031. The contested section belongs to the US$ 1.5 billion Kimal - Lo Aguirre line, a project running over 1,300 kilometers between Antofagasta and Santiago with 2,692 transmission towers and 39 substation link towers.

Carola Venegas, environment and communities manager at Conexión Energía, said the firm holds ministerial concessions granted between November 2025 and August 2026 alongside an October 2025 environmental permit. Both parties must attend a conciliation and evidentiary hearing on 29 September 2026.