Bolivia Will Mine Lithium Independently

Bolivia plans to mine lithium independently in the Uyuni Salt Flats as part of the sovereign development strategy promoted by the president, Vice President Alvaro Garcia affirmed.

The vice president made his comments at a public event on Wednesday at the salt flats in Potosi, which hold the largest lithium reserve in the world.

Lithium is essential to the new electric car industry and is used for lithium-ion batteries for electronic devices such as laptop computers, cell phones, and digital cameras.

At the request of President Evo Morales, Bolivian scientists, technicians and engineers independently designed a method for lithium mining after foreign companies refused to meet the government's requirements.

"The mineral of the 21st century exists in its raw form in the Uyuni Salt Flats, which is why many companies from around the world began making proposals" to the Bolivian government on mining, he said.

But the majority only wanted a presence in the salt marches and underestimated the production capacity of the Bolivian people, he said.

Before inspecting the mining site, Garcia praised the national specialists.

The President set down the sovereign strategy of processing lithium and "we are doing it alone," Garcia said.