SANTIAGO, July 1 (Reuters) - Chile's state-run copper

producer Codelco said on Tuesday that it received regulatory

approval for a lithium extraction quota that is key to its

planned joint venture with Chilean lithium miner SQM.

Chile's nuclear energy regulator CCHEN approved an initial

extraction of 2.5 million metric tons of lithium metal

equivalent (LME) per year from 2031 to 2060, Codelco said.