On-site IRMA Audit of Planta Salar de Atacama, October 2026
KPMG PRI Seeks Input from Local Community and Other Stakeholders
Today, 9 September 2026, independent audit firm KPMG PRI announces that from 12 to 16 October 2026 and 26-30 October 2026 it will visit the Albemarle Planta Salar de Atacama mine in Chile’s Antofagasta Region to conduct the on-site phase of its independent, third-party renewal audit of the operation’s performance against the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) Standard for Responsible Mining. Planta Salar de Atacama extracts concentrated lithium brine, potash, bischofite, halite, and sylvinite.
While onsite from 12-16 October 2026, KPMG PRI auditors will collect feedback from local stakeholders – anyone directly or indirectly affected by the mine – including community members, and government officials. From 26-30 October 2026, KPMG PRI will visit the Planta de Atacama site and meet with mine workers. The feedback and information obtained from these visits will allow us to evaluate the performance of Planta Salar against the requirements of the IRMA Standard.
An IRMA assessment results in a public audit report published on the IRMA website (see below for link). IRMA audit reports summarize the audit process, explain how and why the site scored against each of the 400+ requirements of the IRMA Standard, and refresh the site’s IRMA Achievement level. Interested parties may request a physical copy of the report from the audited site.
The audited site can use the findings from the audit to improve its practices. Stakeholders, particularly rights holders, affected communities and mine workers, may use the results of this audit and past audit reports to gain detailed information about the site and empower more collaborative engagement on improvements that matter most to them.
| ONSITE AUDIT DATES: Oct 12-16 and Oct 26-30, 2026
Your comments will help KPMG PRI assess the impact of Albemarle’s Planta Salar de Atacama operation on local communities and measure its performance against best mining practices. KPMG PRI invites you to sign-up for an interview with auditors during the audit, and/or submit written comments about Albemarle’s Planta Salar de Atacama operation using the contact details below. Interviews can be held in Spanish and English. Interviews requested by 5 October 2026 can be conducted in-person or remotely. Interview requests made after 5 October 2026 can be in-person if time permits, and remotely if not. Additional feedback and written comments submitted before 30 October 2026 can be incorporated into the results of this audit. |
| To Sign Up:
Correo electrónico: irma@kpmg.ca Teléfono/WhatsApp (voz o texto): +1(236)558-4483 |
English Feedback Form
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- Interviews with members of the community occur without mine personnel present (Oct 12-16)
- Interviews with non-management workers occur without management present and can be scheduled to occur offsite on request (Oct 26-30).
- IRMA auditors protect the identity of individual commenters although the general nature of comments will be summarized in the report.
For more information about
- Albemarle’s renewal audit status or view its past audits: https://responsiblemining.net/audits/salar-de-atacama-salar-plant/
- IRMA’s mission, Standard, assessment process, or other mine audits: net
- To provide feedback or file a complaint about the IRMA audit process: net/feedback-complaints
- IRMA-approved independent audit firm KPMG PRI: https://kpmg.com/ca/en/services/environmental-social-and-governance/assurance/certification/kpmg-performance-registrar-inc.html
