MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivian official warns against disinformation regarding lithium contracts

“There is disinformation with political intentions, without any doubt,” Alcón argued

Bolivia's Vice Minister of Communication Gabriela Alcón said this week that spreading misinformation about lithium contracts would result in delays to the mineral's industrialization in her country. She also underlined the importance of transparent communication about the documents currently being negotiated, which are beneficial for the state and involve a small portion of the nation's salt flats. Contracts with Russia's Uranium One Group and China's CBC from Hong Kong are expected to yield significant amounts of lithium carbonate, with investments totaling over US$ 2 billion.

(See also: Bolivia's lithium company says deal with Chinese partners is risk-free - and Bolivia signs lithium production deals with Russian, Chinese companies )

“There is disinformation with political intentions, without any doubt, so that Potosí and Bolivians are once again left behind in terms of industry. What do they want, that the raw material is simply exported and there is no industry, once again relegating Bolivia from the 'lithium boom',” Alcón stressed.

”Then it is important that the population knows and in a transparent way a socialization process is carried out. This work is being carried out by YLB (Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos), it has been done in Oruro, it is being done in Potosí with the different stakeholders,“ she added.

”This contract means income according to the resources and, in addition, less than 2% of all the salt we have is going to be used to generate industry. There is also an industrial complex that is linked to it,” she also pointed out.

As the contracts are currently awaiting approval by the Plurinational Legislative Assembly, Lower House Speaker Omar Yujra, called for continued socialization to ensure the population is fully informed. As per these agreements, the industrialization process will use Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology, which requires less water, Alcón also explained.

YLB and Uranium One Group signed last year the first contract to produce 14,000 tons of lithium carbonate per year in the Salar de Uyuni, Potosí, using EDL technology, with an investment of more than US$ 970 million. A couple of months later, YLB agreed with CBC to launch two lithium carbonate production plants, also using EDL technology, with a capacity of 10,000 and 25,000 tons per year respectively at an investment of US$ 1.03 billion.

“If the two contracts are approved, the immediate arrival of some US$ 2,000 million is guaranteed, and the production, in the following years, of at least 50,000 tons of lithium carbonate per year,” the Bolivian government insists.