Berliner Boersenzeitung - Lithium-rich Bolivia lags behind in race to mine key metal

EUR -
AED 4.320282
AFN 82.33534
ALL 97.773381
AMD 451.550673
ANG 2.105082
AOA 1078.594468
ARS 1480.274557
AUD 1.784863
AWG 2.120139
AZN 1.993687
BAM 1.96179
BBD 2.374902
BDT 143.379596
BGN 1.958127
BHD 0.443389
BIF 3446.328247
BMD 1.176221
BND 1.50282
BOB 8.127989
BRL 6.497912
BSD 1.176216
BTN 101.626856
BWP 15.697862
BYN 3.849335
BYR 23053.936395
BZD 2.362664
CAD 1.601143
CDF 3394.574289
CHF 0.933492
CLF 0.028449
CLP 1116.057406
CNY 8.421349
CNH 8.41384
COP 4751.475102
CRC 594.211724
CUC 1.176221
CUP 31.169863
CVE 110.711806
CZK 24.561841
DJF 209.038195
DKK 7.463335
DOP 71.039237
DZD 152.470809
EGP 57.740816
ERN 17.643319
ETB 160.792539
FJD 2.632621
FKP 0.870053
GBP 0.866728
GEL 3.187353
GGP 0.870053
GHS 12.262102
GIP 0.870053
GMD 84.688187
GNF 10181.370812
GTQ 9.027755
GYD 245.956182
HKD 9.233331
HNL 30.993093
HRK 7.534913
HTG 154.344526
HUF 398.423802
IDR 19144.118167
ILS 3.915252
IMP 0.870053
INR 101.57741
IQD 1540.84983
IRR 49533.582149
ISK 142.21683
JEP 0.870053
JMD 188.676067
JOD 0.833972
JPY 172.283529
KES 152.323622
KGS 102.770104
KHR 4728.409748
KMF 496.365318
KPW 1058.660322
KRW 1617.727813
KWD 0.358888
KYD 0.980189
KZT 633.010019
LAK 25365.211227
LBP 105330.611933
LKR 354.861006
LRD 236.420985
LSL 20.72526
LTL 3.473075
LVL 0.711485
LYD 6.381027
MAD 10.620068
MDL 19.889643
MGA 5210.660078
MKD 61.749321
MMK 2469.006908
MNT 4218.37094
MOP 9.509737
MRU 46.837386
MUR 53.553993
MVR 18.112834
MWK 2042.504646
MXN 21.813035
MYR 4.972479
MZN 75.231704
NAD 20.724859
NGN 1800.582757
NIO 43.225562
NOK 11.898719
NPR 162.606928
NZD 1.948338
OMR 0.452252
PAB 1.176216
PEN 4.186942
PGK 4.879848
PHP 66.706445
PKR 335.134832
PLN 4.255003
PYG 8809.898426
QAR 4.282153
RON 5.069841
RSD 117.172803
RUB 92.209061
RWF 1691.99426
SAR 4.413172
SBD 9.745105
SCR 16.637088
SDG 706.330294
SEK 11.192639
SGD 1.502223
SHP 0.924325
SLE 27.053223
SLL 24664.776032
SOS 672.179006
SRD 42.869726
STD 24345.404983
STN 24.93589
SVC 10.291553
SYP 15293.181968
SZL 20.725547
THB 37.862398
TJS 11.285798
TMT 4.128537
TND 3.384576
TOP 2.754829
TRY 47.581919
TTD 7.982338
TWD 34.428119
TZS 3031.704767
UAH 49.183194
UGX 4222.983392
USD 1.176221
UYU 47.284974
UZS 15037.988637
VES 140.516798
VND 30758.185547
VUV 141.218064
WST 3.100624
XAF 657.979933
XAG 0.02999
XAU 0.000347
XCD 3.178796
XCG 2.119763
XDR 0.816919
XOF 661.036499
XPF 119.331742
YER 283.410402
ZAR 20.628268
ZMK 10587.407014
ZMW 27.317988
ZWL 378.742761
  • SCS

    0.2100

    10.68

    +1.97%

  • SCU

    0.0000

    12.72

    0%

  • CMSD

    -0.0300

    22.89

    -0.13%

  • CMSC

    -0.0400

    22.43

    -0.18%

  • GSK

    1.0100

    38.03

    +2.66%

  • RBGPF

    -1.0000

    68

    -1.47%

  • RELX

    0.4100

    53.09

    +0.77%

  • BTI

    0.1500

    52.37

    +0.29%

  • NGG

    -1.6300

    72.65

    -2.24%

  • BCE

    0.2200

    24.6

    +0.89%

  • RIO

    0.2900

    64.62

    +0.45%

  • RYCEF

    -0.1200

    13.3

    -0.9%

  • AZN

    2.5200

    73

    +3.45%

  • BCC

    1.2000

    88.35

    +1.36%

  • JRI

    0.0000

    13.21

    0%

  • VOD

    -0.0200

    11.3

    -0.18%

  • BP

    0.1900

    32.71

    +0.58%

Lithium-rich Bolivia lags behind in race to mine key metal
Lithium-rich Bolivia lags behind in race to mine key metal / Photo: AIZAR RALDES - AFP

Lithium-rich Bolivia lags behind in race to mine key metal

In a patch of South America rich in lithium, used to make batteries for electric cars and other tech, Bolivia is lagging behind its neighbors in the race to mine the key metal.

Text size:

An area called the Lithium Triangle which spills over the borders of Bolivia, Chile and Argentina is home to 60 percent of the world's lithium reserves, according to the US Geological Survey.

Bolivia claims to have Earth's largest deposit of the metal, used to make rechargeable batteries for smartphones, laptops and other devices besides e-vehicles.

But Bolivia has undertaken only four pilot projects and is running just one plant to produce the metal -- and at 20 percent of its capacity.

"The next step was going to be taking this up to an industrial level. And this has not been achieved so far," said Gonzalo Mondaca, a researcher at the Bolivian Center for Documentation and Information.

In 2023 Bolivia produced 948 tonnes of lithium carbonate, a white salt that is a precursor to the compounds used in lithium-ion batteries, according to the Mining Ministry.

Based on US estimates, that is one-tenth of what Argentina extracted from the earth and just two percent of the haul in Chile, the world's largest producer after Australia.

"The term Lithium Triangle is confusing because it suggests that the area is homogenous," said Martin Obaya, a researcher at San Martin National University in Argentina.

"But it varies from one country to the next and one region to the next."

- Window of opportunity? -

In South America, lithium lies in salt flats. The cheapest way to extract it is to pump water up from underground deposits and let it sit in pools to evaporate, leaving the lithium carbonate from which the metal is derived.

In Chile, where the lithium is found in the Atacama desert, engineers can dig down dozens of meters (yards) into the salt flats.

But this is not possible at Bolivia's Uyuni salt flat, the world's biggest, which lies at an altitude of 3,600 meters (12,000 feet).

There, crews can bore down only about 11 meters, as below that the soil is too compact and it's impossible to pump water up to the surface, Mondaca said.

In December 2023, the government opened a plant that was supposed to yield 15,000 tonnes per year of lithium carbonate using the evaporation technique. But the plant did not work properly and it is now operating at only 20 percent capacity.

"There will always be debate over whether we are facing a window of opportunity that is about to close. It is hard to say. But the project's performance is frustrating, given the expectations," said Obaya.

In recent months Bolivia raised hopes by signing two contracts for the construction of plants using electro-chemical processes to extract lithium.

This method requires less water but a larger investment up front.

- Political deadlock -

The state lithium company YLB says that with the new technique, producing a ton of lithium at the Uyuni facility will cost between $4,000 and $8,000, compared to $2,500-$4,000 in Chile.

This year Bolivia signed a deal with a Russian company called Uranium One to build a plant designed to extract 14,000 tons of lithium per year.

It also signed a contract with a subsidiary of the Chinese company CATL -- the world's largest battery manufacturer -- to set up two lithium extraction sites with a joint capacity of 35,000 tonnes a year.

Both of these contracts require approval from congress, where the ruling party's majority is divided between supporters of President Luis Arce and those who back former president Evo Morales. These former allies are now sworn enemies.

Mondaca said Bolivia is simply not prepared for this big lithium challenge "at the technical, legal and institutional level."

Gustavo Lagos, a professor at Catholic University in Chile, said 20 or 30 years from now Bolivia will be able to produce a lot of lithium. But it needs cheaper technology and "we are not there yet."

The government says Bolivia has the world's largest lithium resources but has never stated how much of it can actually be extracted.

"If the government of Bolivia has succeeded in anything it was in propaganda. It has kept people's hopes up for more than 15 years," said Mondaca of the Bolivian research group.

(H.Schneide--BBZ)