Bolivia signs agreement with Chinese consortium for lithium extraction

Bolivia's government signed an agreement Wednesday with Chinese consortium Catl, Brunp and Cmoc (CBC) to develop a pilot plant to directly extract and process lithium at the Uyuni Salt Flats in the southwest Bolivian department of Potosi.

Bolivian President Luis Arce said that the lithium extraction plant entails an investment of 90 million U.S. dollars and will have an initial production capacity of 2,500 tons of lithium carbonate a year. As Bolivia seeks with China to increase its contribution to the battery production chain, President Arce also said Bolivia this month could launch a new international tender.