JAPAN, CHINA COMPETE IN LITHIUM RACEJAPAN, CHINA COMPETE IN LITHIUM RACE
Bolivian Govt aims to become global kingpin of lithium
Bolivian President Evo Morales says he will not grant a lithiummonopoly to any of the countries scrambling to extract what may be theworld's choicest lithium reserves.
Author: Dorothy Kosich
Posted: Tuesday , 16 Jun 2009
RENO, NV -
As China and Japan compete for the right to mine for Bolivia'slithiunm resources, Bolivia National Mining Director Freddy Beltransays the government wants to mine the lithium in Salar de Unyuni insouthern Bolivia without partners.
Beltran told the newspaper La Razon the country wants to exploitlithium in a sovereign manner, using its own technology and its ownresources. President Evo Morales has stressed on several occasions thathe will demand the government have a majority participation in theincome from lithium extraction.
However, Beltran noted, "We need the technology to manufacturebatteries amd we are light years behind in that. That's why we need apartner."
The Bolivian government built a small pilot plant to producelithium carbonate in small quantities, in order to gain experience inorder to later enter a phase of industralizing the metal.
A delegation of executives from Sumitomo and Mitsubishi havereportedly promised Bolivian government officials that Japanese miningtechnology will be shared with Bolivia. Japan's expertise is believedto be a solution to extracting the lithium under Salar de Uyuni, whichis considered to be the lithium equivalent of Saudi oil reserves.
China hosts about one-tenth of the global lithium reserves andranks as the world's third largest lithium producer. Several Chinesecompanies are key manufacturers of lithium batteries. It is believedthat China will eventually emerge as the world's largest automotivemanufacturer.
French battery maker Bollore and South Korea's lG Group have alsoexpressed interest in Bolivian lithium, which is a crucial component inthe future of electric vehicles.