The Bolivian government plans to earn annual revenues of $4 billion from the export of lithium carbonate, a strategic component for battery manufacturing, Hydrocarbons and Energy Minister Franklin Molina said.
“We project an estimated production of more than 100,000 tons of lithium carbonate, and this can exceed $4 billion for the country, although this depends on the price of this product,” said Molina in an interview with “La Razón” radio station.
“To reach this production capacity, at least four projects for the processing of lithium will be launched, and it was announced that the first facility, which will process 15,000 tons per year of this strategic component, is already in the industrial progress phase,” the Bolivian authority explained.
“This plant is built and is in the final phase with the calibration of the equipment. It is a key start-up stage of the plant for the production of lithium carbonate, battery grade, and technical grade, as well as to achieve the rest of the projects,” Molina said.
Bolivia has the largest lithium reserve in the world, with 23 million tons, which is located mainly in Uyuni, in the department of Potos (southwest), according to a study presented in July by the state company Yacimientos del Litio Boliviano (YLB).
This company signed agreements with the Chinese companies Catl Brunp & Cmoc (CBC) and Citic Guoan Corporation, in addition to the Russian Uranium One Group, for the development of plants in which they will apply Direct Lithium Extraction (EDL) technology to obtain this component.
The Chinese consortium CBC guaranteed 1,4 billion dollars for the construction of two factories in the Bolivian salt flats of Uyuni and Coipasa, in southwestern Bolivia, with a global production capacity of up to 50,000 tons of lithium carbonate per year.
