[(...) I want to present a report. An exclusive report by “Cara&Sello”. Two years ago, some economic news media began to comment on the discovery of a lithium deposit that could make Peru the second largest lithium producer in the world. Lithium, you know, is present in all batteries, in all cell phones, in iPads and of course in electric cars, which are growing in the world. Therefore, being able to develop a project of this nature can put us back on the cusp of mining production in the world, where we continue to be protagonists. Well, we have gone to know where it is, in what circumstances this lithium deposit has been discovered. Today we present it to the world exclusively at “Cara&Sello”, so you can see that Peru is a country of opportunities. Come in please.]
Engineer Gregorio Tasaico Mora, Exploration Manager Macusani Yellowcake: “This area is called Tres Hermanas. As you see, both in north and south, and in east and west, all that white coloration that is observed is the presence of lithium. ”
We are in Macusani, Puno, 1,540 kilometers south of the Peruvian capital, and according to the geologist Gregorio Tasaico, this would be the first rock lithium deposit discovered in the country and in South America. The exploration work initiated by the company Macusani Yellowcake in 2007 allowed the discovery of this important deposit in 2017, with resources around 4.7 million tons of equivalent lithium carbonate and which will involve an approximate investment of 800 million dollars.
Certainly it is not accidental that for the World Bank lithium appears in the list of the twelve metals of the future. One of the communities closest to this lithium project is Ishvilla, but how do they live day to day?
Pio Condori Condori, President of the Ishvilla Community Council: “Here in the community we are dedicated to agriculture and livestock. In recent years we are suffering from lack of water, because here in the community we do not have water eyes. We are fighting ourselves in the community, taking our water away”.
Guillermo Quispe Pari, Mayor of the Ishvilla Village Center: “We live at 4,400 meters above sea level, very cold, excessive cold, which hurts our animals, in what is alpaca breeding, in these months: June, July, August".
In addition to exhorting the authorities so that geography does not condemn them not only to the cold but to oblivion, the mayor of the Ishvilla Village Center mentions that his two main sources of income are not meeting the needs of their families: "The population wants us to execute another agreement for exploration in the mining claims to generate the work, because we do not provide for our students or to support our families."
Thus, we are facing the possibility of exploiting white gold, as this mineral is also known. In this way we would be breaking the triangle of lithium that Argentina, Chile and Bolivia make up today, but we could also become the second largest lithium producing country in the world.
Gregorio Tasaico: “They have their lithium in brines, which is a mineral in salt flats, and this material has to go through a refining process in order to obtain a material that is economical. In our case it is different because in the studies and tests that have been carried out we have 99.74% purity. It no longer requires refining, so it makes the project more profitable and economically very interesting in this area that is extremely poor and has one of the richest lithium deposits in the world. ”
The area where this mineral is located has an extension of two kilometers in length by a kilometer and a half in width approximately. Falchani, as this place is known, is a deposit that contains 4.7 million tons of equivalent lithium carbonate, which, if exploited, will bring prosperity to this forgotten area of Peru. Definitely, the future is lithium and the present too.
Gregorio Tasaico: “We have lithium as a component in all our cell phones, in all our daily work with technology. Electric vehicles will require a lot of lithium for their batteries. That is why we are willing to give a lot of strength to this project and move it forward, because it will be for the benefit of the country, and of all this forgotten area of our Puno region. ”
[Well folks, this has been the exclusive report of “Cara&Sello”. And we are not exaggerating. No media has ever visited this site, which exists, which you have seen, which is filmed. People live there at 4,800 meters high. If these people, who are accustomed to the cold, say "we are dying of cold", you imagine what a crude reality. Well, there is a possibility. There is a company, Macusani Yellowcake, with Canadian capitals, that is interested in developing the project. The government has to support these initiatives. That is, beyond the problems of Tia Maria, there are other possibilities because Peru is a country rich in minerals and these projects must be started. There is no other alternative for the development of our beloved country.]