He is expected that in five years the mass production of electric and hybrid cars, will be reached which will increase the demand for the metal. For Eichi Maeyama Mitsubishi Chief in La Paz: the demand for lithium will not double but it shall be multiplied by five. The projection on the evolution which will have lithium demand has generated the need to identify the main reserves of this resource and the way in which it could be exploited. According to Maeyama: We need more lithium sources and 50% of the world’s reserves of lithium are in Bolivia, in the Salar de Uyuni. Bolivia would have reserves of at least 5.4 million fine tons of lithium, more than half of the known worldwide deposits of this metal. It is worth remembering that the new Constitution adopted in the referendum of 25 January gives the Bolivian State control of strategic resources.
Bolivian lithium is coveted by large companies of different nationalities. Companies such as Bollore of France and Japanese companies Mitsubishi and Sumitomo are currently competing for access to the Salt Lake in the Bolivian altiplano and eventually develop a lithium industry, as the director of mining in Bolivia, Freddy Beltran was confirmed by. Last Monday, met that also the South Korean giant LG joined the transnational group that seek to exploit the huge lithium Bolivian salar de Uyuni, considered the largest world reserve of that metal. Bollore, Mitsubishi and Sumitomo have submitted proposals to extract lithium and export it as a raw material, but such proposals are not of interest to the Bolivian Government that aims to hydroxide lithium, lithium, lithium metal, and even batteries in Bolivia, chloride that occurs for this will generate added value involving jobs and maximize profits in the country. Beltran quoted by Reuters, referred to the theme of the proposals received in the following manner: there has not been more progress (in negotiations).
