Bolivia again delays announcement on lithium mining tie-ups By Reuters

LA PAZ (Reuters) – Bolivia’s authorities on Wednesday declined to call which of six short-listed firms it will choose to assist mine its untapped lithium riches, with the chief of the nation’s state-run lithium firm saying a couple of may very well be finally chosen.

The federal government had already postponed a ultimate announcement on its choice final month, amid excessive hopes the personal companions may also help jumpstart lithium extraction in Bolivia’s sprawling salt flats, dwelling to the world’s largest deposits of the white metallic.

Regardless of a long time of makes an attempt, Bolivia has but to attain any industrial lithium manufacturing regardless of demand for the metallic having surged lately.

“It may very well be that there’s a couple of firm that may assist this industrialization course of. The target is to maneuver for the industrialization of lithium in a means that would work with a couple of firm,” mentioned Carlos Ramos, head of Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB).

“Investments for the vegetation will likely be decided based mostly on every of the applied sciences” the businesses can supply, he added.

The federal government narrowed down the ultimate choice from eight to 6 suitors earlier this month, after disqualifying American startup EnergyX and Argentine power agency Tecpetrol.[L1N2XW01M]

Nevertheless, the landlocked nation nonetheless faces steep challenges to satisfy its goal of manufacturing lithium-ion batteries domestically by 2025.

A Reuters report final month highlighted the technological challenges, social resistance, authorized obstacles and political scrambles undermining Bolivia’s extractions plans. [L2N2X906]

In the meantime, not one of the short-listed corporations have exploited lithium at a industrial scale earlier than.