Lithium mining in Bolivia is a critical part of the overall lithium industry due to the large amount of lithium contained within the nation.[1] More than half of the world's known lithium reserves are located in the Lithium Triangle: an area that spans parts of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. Bolivia has the world's largest reserves – an estimated thirty-eight percent of the global total.[1] Bolivia makes up less than one percent of global production, while Chile and Argentina produce around forty-five percent.[2][3]
Several factors contribute to Bolivia's low production. One reason for this is the decentralization stemming from Bolivia's plurinational constitution framework for governing, adopted in 2009. This decentralization has prevented the national government to industrialize the industry without the consent of indigenous communities. Bolivia also rejected foreign investment, unlike Chile and Argentina.[1] Another issue is the more difficult process of extracting lithium from Bolivian salt flats.[4]
History
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In 2008, then president Evo Morales announced state control of the lithium industry by the state's lithium company Yacimientos del Litio Boliviano (YLB).[1] YLB sought to not only control the lithium mining business in Bolivia, but also produce lithium products such as batteries and be able to participate with these lithium products globally.[5] YLB has struggled to increase production, while attempts to work with private foreign companies, such as a 2018 deal with the German company ASISA, have been hindered by protests.[4]
Morales had high hopes concerning lithium mining within Bolivia, believing that if the industry thrived in the country, it would result in great amounts of financial support for Bolivians and aid the country’s economy.[6] Morales’s vice president, Álvaro García Linera, claimed that lithium would help 40% of Bolivians by providing scientific and technological jobs that are everywhere across the globe.[7] Government policies advocated for Bolivians owning all of lithium mining within the country, but these proclamations have yet to truly be fulfilled.[7]
Former Bolivian president Luis Arce is more supportive of foreign investment than Morales and has explored collaboration with outsiders, despite opposition from those that wish to limit foreign involvement.[4] In 2023, YLB made a deal with the Chinese battery company CATL to allow for the further industrialization of the industry. YLB is in talks with companies from the US, China, and Russia.[8]
Rodrigo Paz, current Bolivian president, is currently campaigning for capitalism within Bolivia and moving away from the past economic system, which mainly situated itself within the oil and natural gas mining industries.[9] This is a step away from the outlooks of Evo Morales and Luis Arce, which may mean change within the lithium industry in Bolivia is in the near future due to a more conservative approach to politics.
Production
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Lithium mining takes place in the Lithium Triangle, which is located high in the Andean mountains shared in Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile.[5] This area is called the Atacama Desert, known for being the driest desert in the world.[5] Hundreds of salt flats, due to lakes in the areas drying up over time, are located within these three countries, Bolivia containing almost 40 salt flats alone.[5] Lithium extraction requires a substantial amount of water, which has led to water shortages near the mines. Sixty-five percent of the water supply in the Lithium Triangle has been consumed by extraction.[7]
Impact
editThe lithium mining industry in Bolivia is controversial for several reasons, some being concern for the environment as well as poor project management and social conflict and attitude, both local to the mining and throughout the Bolivian nation.[1] Extraction of lithium has been shown to be both inexpensive and efficient, but with the majority being located within the Lithium Triangle, people are beginning to show concern for long term sustainability of the industry.[7] Tons of water is used in this process, causing both water shortages and drought for farmers and their crops. It has also been reported that air, soil, and water are contaminated due to the local lithium extraction.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Sanchez-Lopez, Daniela (2019-11-02). "Sustainable Governance of Strategic Minerals: Post-Neoliberalism and Lithium in Bolivia". Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development. 61 (6): 18–30. Bibcode:2019ESPSD..61f..18S. doi:10.1080/00139157.2019.1662659. ISSN 0013-9157.
- ^ Quinn, Jack (November 6, 2023). "Latin America's Lithium Sands Are Shifting". Americas Quarterly. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ^ Canada, Natural Resources (2022-01-18). "Lithium facts". natural-resources.canada.ca. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
- ^ a b c Davis, Jared (December 2020). "Bolivia's Lithium Future: A Second Chance?" (PDF). The Wilson Center's Latin American Program.
- ^ a b c d Aylwin, José, ed. (2025). Lithium and Human Rights in the High Andean Salt Flats of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. Design and layout by Lola de la Maza Wielandt. OBSERVATORIO CIUDADANO. pp. 25–29. ISBN 9789569315176.
- ^ Power, Matthew; Cuttica, Fabio (2010). "THE SOLUTION: Bolivia's Lithium Dreams". The Virginia Quarterly Review. 86 (4): 4–23. ISSN 0042-675X.
- ^ a b c d e Ahmad, Samar (2020). "The Lithium Triangle: Where Chile Argentina, and Bolivia Meet". Harvard International Review. 41 (1): 51–53. ISSN 0739-1854.
- ^ Ramos, Daniel (2023-01-20). "Bolivia taps Chinese battery giant CATL to help develop lithium riches". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
- ^ "Rodrigo Paz wins presidential runoff, becoming Bolivia's first conservative leader in decades". PBS News. 2025-10-20. Retrieved 2025-11-24.