which country has the largest salt flats in the world

So current President Luis Arce has only solicited bids from firms using a different and untested technology called 'direct lithium extraction' - which could produce lithium faster but needs different and new infrastructure that is not yet built.Īrce's administration declined to comment. Global lithium supply this year, led by Australia and Chile, is expected to hit 600,000 tonnes, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.īolivia has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into traditional evaporation ponds that have produced little lithium, due in part to high naturally occurring concentrations of magnesium. It has tried and failed to develop its lithium several times since the 1990s, producing an accumulated 1,400 tonnes since 2018. That is five years behind the central government's timeline.īolivia has a history of unfulfilled promise with lithium. 2 lithium producer, has not achieved after decades of production.īut in Potosi, the Bolivian region where the lithium is located, authorities do not expect any production until 2030, Juan Tellez, an adviser to the regional governor, told Reuters.

Lithium prices have skyrocketed this year and automakers from Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) to Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) are struggling to source the metal.īolivia's long-shot goal: to make lithium-ion batteries locally by 2025, an ambition even neighboring and more affluent Chile, the world's No.

Which country has the largest salt flats in the world