Wealth Minerals and Voith Partner with Quechua Community to Deploy Direct Lithium Extraction at Pabellón

Wealth Minerals and Voith Partner with Quechua Community to Deploy Direct Lithium Extraction at Pabellón

(IN BRIEF) Wealth Minerals and Voith have entered an MoU to co-develop the Pabellón Lithium Project in northern Chile alongside the CIQO and other partners. Voith will hold 5 percent of Wealth’s 7,600 ha license portfolio and assist in applying for Chile’s CEOL contract. The partners plan to deploy Direct Lithium Extraction—an eco-efficient method that bypasses evaporation ponds—to produce high-purity lithium for batteries, either by integrating into the nearby Cerro Pabellón power station or via a standalone facility. The collaboration builds on Voith’s renewable energy credentials and Wealth’s South American lithium focus, aiming to accelerate the clean-energy transition.

(PRESS RELEASE) HEIDENHEIM, 8-Jul-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Wealth Minerals Ltd. and Voith today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance the Pabellón Lithium Project in northern Chile, in collaboration with the Quechua Indigenous Community of Ollagüe (CIQO) and other local partners. Under the agreement, Voith acquires a 5 percent interest in Wealth Minerals’ 26-exploration-license portfolio—spanning 7,600 hectares in Region II near the Bolivian border—and will co-apply for Chile’s Special Lithium Operation Contract (CEOL) designation.

The Pabellón project boasts promising geology and a strong environmental profile, earning a shortlist spot for a CEOL award from Chile’s Ministry of Mining. If granted, the consortium may integrate a Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) circuit at the nearby Cerro Pabellón thermal power plant—pending operator consent—or develop a standalone lithium recovery facility on Wealth’s mining concessions. DLE sidesteps vast evaporation ponds by selectively extracting lithium from brine, cutting water use, speeding production, and delivering battery-grade lithium compounds with minimal ecological impact.

“Direct Lithium Extraction is a forward-looking technology that enables efficient and environmentally sound lithium recovery,” said Hendrik van Alphen, CEO of Wealth Minerals. “We are pleased to work with Voith Hydro and other collaborators to apply this approach at Pabellón.”

Jan Lüder, President & CEO of Voith Hydro, added, “Building on our successful hydropower partnership at Los Cóndores, we are excited to bring our energy systems expertise to Chile’s lithium sector and support the global energy transition with diverse storage solutions—batteries and pumped storage alike.”

This joint venture aligns Voith’s mission to pioneer future-oriented energy storage with Wealth’s strategic aim of developing South American lithium assets critical for battery-based renewable grids.

About the Pabellón Lithium Project

The Chilean Ministry of Mining has included Pabellón on its shortlist for awarding a Special Lithium Operation Contract (CEOL), based on its promising geological features and strong environmental profile. The Pabellón Lithium Project, an exploration initiative by Wealth Minerals, covers 26 mineral exploration licenses totaling approximately 7,600 hectares in Region II of northern Chile, near the border with Bolivia and about 70 kilometers south of the Ollagüe salar.

Under the terms of this MoU, Voith owns 5% of Wealth’s portfolio of mineral exploration licenses in the area. Voith will bring its know-how and existing partnerships to bear on an application for a CEOL, which will allow the partners to move forward with potentially developing a lithium recovery circuit on the thermal power generation station “Cerro Pabellón” subject to reaching an agreement with the existing operator, or eventually developing a separate lithium extraction operation in its mining concessions. As lithium is essential for battery-based energy storage systems, Voith aims to contribute to the development of diverse and future-oriented storage solutions — including both batteries and pumped storage — that are key to enabling the global energy transition.

Innovative lithium extraction method

The partners plan to implement Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE), an innovative method that isolates lithium directly from brine without the need for large evaporation ponds. The process is faster, consumes less water, and has a smaller environmental footprint. It yields high-purity lithium compounds suitable for battery production.

About Wealth Minerals Ltd.

Wealth Minerals is a mineral resource company with interests in Canada and Chile. The company’s focus is the acquisition and development of lithium projects in South America.

About the Voith Group
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has around 22,000 employees, sales of € 5.2 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

About Voith Hydro
The Group Division Voith Hydro is part of the Voith Group and a leading full-line supplier as well as trusted partner for equipping hydropower plants. Voith develops customized, long-term solutions and services for large and small hydro plants all over the world. Its portfolio of products and services covers the entire life cycle and all major components for large and small hydro plants, from generators, turbines, pumps and automation systems, right through to spare parts, maintenance and training services, and digital solutions for intelligent hydropower.

Media Contact:

Julia Schäfer | Mirjam Sander
Head of Communications Voith Hydro
JuMi@voith.com
Tel: +49 7321 37-9751

SOURCE: Voith