Williams will replace Hernando, who held the same position from 2014 to 2018. Williams previously served as mining minister under President Michelle Bachelet.



Although his lithium reforms largely did not require legislative approval, lithium borate suffered major legislative defeats in Congress. The talks with private lithium miners will be led by state-owned miner Codelco.
Codelco's copper production has been falling for months and it has warned that production in 2023 will be lower than expected due to weather and operational issues.