https://elcomercio.pe/economia/peru/gobierno-espera-tener-proyecto-de-ley-para-explotar-uranio-y-litio-en-ultimo-trimestre-del-ano-nndc-noticia/?ref=ecr Government expects to have a bill to exploit uranium and lithium in the last quarter of the year
The Peruvian government expects to have in the last quarter of the year a bill on the regulation and exploitation of uranium and lithium for its "pre-publication" and discussion, said on Monday the Minister of Energy and Mines (Minem), Miguel Inchaustegui.
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The approval of the bill will open the door to projects such as that of Canada's Plateau Energy Metals, which announced in 2018 that they had found 2.5 million tons of high-grade lithium resources and 124 million pounds of uranium in the Puno region.
Inchaustegui said that Peru has been working for months with the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, to improve the norm on the subject and have an "adequate" law for the exploration of uranium and lithium.
"We calculate that for the last quarter of this year we can have this regulation already concluded and there begins the pre-publication" of the project, said the minister in a virtual conference with the foreign press.
Inchaustegui said that in order to advance with the exploration and exploitation of these minerals, which are in great demand for the manufacture of electronic components, strict standards must be met in environmental and regulatory matters.
The minister added that there are firms interested in the exploitation of lithium and uranium in Peru and that "we are waiting for them (the companies) to present their projects and documents to obtain the required permits".