SQM reports Q2 EPS 31c vs. 75c last year

Earlier this week, the company also reported Q2 revenue of $1.04B vs. $1.29B last year. SQM‘s (SQM) CEO, Ricardo Ramos, stated, “As anticipated, during the second quarter, we navigated a period of lower lithium market prices than those observed in previous quarters. In this context, some of the contracts we had in place, hit the lower limits set in those contracts, affecting the volumes agreed. As a result, the total volume sold during the second quarter of this year was lower than what was reported in the first quarter of this year, despite the growth seen in the market. With that said, we now expect sales volumes from our Salar de Atacama operations to grow by approximately 10% compared to last year, while we are increasing our sales guidance for our Australian operations. We are also pleased to announce that Covalent, our Joint Venture with Wesfarmers in Australia, has completed construction of the Kwinana refinery in Australia, and achieved first product produced in July at the expected quality and cost. The ramp-up period is expected to take 18 months, and once at full capacity, the Mt. Holland Lithium Project is expected to produce approximately 50,000 tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide per year, contributing to the growing demand of electric vehicles.”