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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 25th 2025 - 19:55 UTC

Tag: lithium

  • Thursday, April 3rd 2025 - 10:00 UTC

    Chile unveils plans to optimize copper and lithium extraction

    Chile's transition to clean energy must involve local communities and small businesses, Síkela noted

    The European Union, in collaboration with Fraunhofer Chile, has launched the OPTIMINER project in Santiago with key EU and Chilean dignitaries to optimize the extraction and processing of critical raw materials (CRMs) like copper and lithium, essential for renewable energy and clean technologies. The initiative seeks to foster sustainable mining and energy transition, benefiting both local communities and global supply chains.

  • Thursday, February 20th 2025 - 18:03 UTC

    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.

  • Wednesday, February 12th 2025 - 09:48 UTC

    Bolivia's lithium company says deal with Chinese partners is risk-free

    The Chinese company has three years to start collecting top-quality lithium or leave Bolivia with no compensation after investing over US$ 1 billion

    Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) Legal Manager Pablo Nina warned Tuesday that the Chinese company Hong Kong CBC has three years to extract a mineral with 99.5% purity and 80% recovery in the raw material processing or face the dismantling of its two battery-grade lithium carbonate production plants in the Uyuni salt flat and leave the country.

  • Thursday, August 29th 2024 - 08:32 UTC

    Argentina betting on lithium and copper projects to overcome recession

    Minister Luis Lucero said Argentina was pushing to become a global supplier of lithium and copper with significant foreign investment

    With electric battery lithium leading, Argentina mining exports are expected to double to some US$ 10 billion in three years time, according to minister Luis Lucero who anticipated that copper is the other metal that will also have a huge boost given its importance in powering electric vehicles and artificial intelligence.

  • Wednesday, July 3rd 2024 - 10:00 UTC

    Plummetting lithium price leads BASF to drop investment plans in Chile

    An oversupply of lithium is feared given a recent increase in worldwide output so prices went down

    Chemical giant BASF SE dropped its plans to invest in lithium mining assets in Chile after a recent downward turn in the mineral's price, it was reported. The German company thus canceled all talks with Canada's Wealth Minerals Ltd., which has exploration projects in the South American country, it was explained.

  • Thursday, March 14th 2024 - 16:28 UTC

    Argentina: Catamarca court orders halt to lithium extraction following environmental complaint

    The resolution fully impacts on the economic interests of an extractive activity concentrated in a resource such as lithium.

    The Court of Justice in Catamarca (Northern Argentina) has issued a divided ruling ordering a suspension of mining activity in the Salar del Hombre Muerto, impacting lithium production projects. The decision stems from an environmental protection action filed by cacique Román Elías Guitian, urging a comprehensive environmental impact study before new permits are granted.

  • Friday, January 19th 2024 - 10:27 UTC

    Lithium: Bolivia's YLB signs new agreement with China's CBC

    Opposition lawmakers said these announcements were mere propaganda

    A new agreement between Bolivia's state-owned Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) and the Chinese consortium CATL, BRUNP & CMOC (CBC) was signed Thursday to install a lithium carbonate pilot plant with Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) technology in the Uyuni salt flat and would have a production of 2,500 tons per year after an investment worth US$ 90 million.

  • Saturday, November 11th 2023 - 10:52 UTC

    Argentina and Chile sign key lithium agreement

    The agreement “represents a milestone for Chile, being of great value for the National Lithium Strategy,” van Kleveren explained

    Authorities from Argentina and Chile Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Binational Lithium and Salt Flats Working Group which represents a significant step towards strategic cooperation in this regard, it was reported in Santiago and Buenos Aires following negotiations dating back to June 2022.

  • Monday, September 4th 2023 - 11:08 UTC

    Posco pledges US$ 1.7 bn investment in Argentina

    Also in Seoul, Cafiero met with his South Korean colleague Park Jin

    Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero signed an agreement in Seoul with steel company Posco, whereby the South Korean company will invest US$ 1.7 billion for the production of lithium carbonate in the provinces of Salta and Catamarca.

  • Tuesday, August 29th 2023 - 06:25 UTC

    Argentina has a medium term lithium export annual target of 400,000 tons

    “Argentina is already part of the lithium development wave. Last year, minerals worth US$ 3.8 billion were exported,” pointed out Mining minister Fernanda Avila

    Lithium exports from Argentina are poised to increase in the coming years, specifically from 34,000 tons to 400,000 tons of lithium carbonate, as mentioned by the Mining Secretary, Fernanda Ávila in Buenos Aires.

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