Bolivia seeks to alleviate the drastic environmental impact of new mobility
At the end of March, an Indian -Bolivian summit took place in the Andes. India's President Ram Nath Kovind arrived in La Paz to meet Evo Morales. Morales has been head of state of Bolivia for thirteen years. Although the Andean State is still the poorest country in South America, it is precisely under the socialist morals that it is experiencing an economic boom with the highest growth rates in the South. And for years.
This is mainly due to the raw materials, particularly natural gas, on which Bolivia sits in large quantities. And because of one commodity, the Indians were also there: lithium. Alkali metal is often referred to as white gold because it is a major component of modern battery cells and therefore indispensable in the supposed electro -driven future. Lithium is a key resource of the 21st century. In the 19th century, for example, for the production of batteries for electric cars.
Poor Bolivia has one of the largest reserves of lithium in the world. Up to ten million tonnes are suspected here. You are under a dry lake, the Salar de Uyuni. It is located at a cool 3650 -metre height, with 10.500 square kilometers bigger than Lower Bavaria and because of its surreal -looking light and color games one of the biggest tourist attractions of the country. Mittendrin will now begin the industrial phase of Bolivia. And the Indians are supposed to help.
Swabian companies in Bolivia
The presidents of both countries signed a basic agreement on lithium exploitation and the joint production of lithium -ion batteries. India, where large battery factories are already being built, thus secures direct access to the highly traded raw material. And Bolivia wants to benefit from the technical know -how of the South Asians.
However, India is not the only country to have received a bonus from Bolivia. First there was 2016 China. Then came Germany. At the end of last year, the Swabian ACI Systems Alemania (ACISA) concluded a joint venture with the young Bolivian state group Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB). The consortium also includes the Thuringian company K -Utec, which plans the conveyor systems.
The project involves investments of about a billion euros and the construction of three battery factories in Bolivia. The start of production is planned for 2021. The aid is intended to run for 70 years, with annual production of 40.000 to 50.000 tons of lithium hydroxide. 10.000.Direct and indirect jobs could be created.
The award for the German SME is remarkable in several respects. Germany is once again securing direct access to an internationally sought -after raw material. ACISA took action against eight international consortia. Environmental aspects played a major role in this. ACI promised to make the exploitation environmentally sustainable, for example using renewable energies and building a decentralised power supply. In addition, the Bolivian State -owned company YLB will hold a percentage of 51 in the joint venture.
The state majority is a prerequisite for foreign corporations in Bolivia to promote raw materials. And it is a recipe for success, because it keeps Bolivia in control of its wealth and can manage its revenues. Morales is a socialist and pragmatist. He knows that his country urgently needs foreign investment. But he doesn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past.
The money never stayed in South America
Bolivia is one of the worst exploited countries in Latin America. The wealth from his treasures never stayed here, but always flowed into other people's pockets. The best example is the Silberberg of Potosi. Countless quantities of silver have been shipped to Spain for centuries, so much so that, according to legend, a bridge over the Atlantic could be built. And with the bones of the fucking miners back a bridge. I don't want that to happen again with lithium. The first Bolivian lithium battery factory will be created in the next few years.
Another approach to lithium production is pursued by Bolivia's neighbour Chile, the neoliberal model country of South America. Together with Argentina, Chile and Bolivia form the lithium triangle, and most of the world's resources are here. Soon we will have to talk about a quadrangle, because great lithium finds have also been made in Peru. The Chilean lithium is located under the Atacama Desert.
It is already being promoted in large quantities, Chile being the second largest producer in the world. Two companies control lithium exploitation in Chile: the US group Albermarle and the Chilean private company SQM (Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile). They are the largest producers of lithium in the world, responsible for more than half of global production.
There are reservations about both in Chile. There are calls for greater control by the public authorities over lithium production. One of the criticisms is that Chile only exports the raw material and does too little to develop it itself. It is true that the agreements with SQM and Albermarle contain clauses according to which a quarter of lithium should remain in Chile. But there is no battery industry yet.
Another problem with SQM is that most of the shares are held by the family of the late dictator Augusto Pinochet. In addition, the group has already been investigated for money laundering, tax evasion and illegal campaign financing. A trial is currently underway against former Minister of Economy Pablo Longueira, who is said to have been smeared by SQM to formulate water regulations for the Lithium industry.
The environment also suffers
One is needed in large quantities to obtain lithium: water. In the Atacama Desert, it is pumped from the underground to the surface and conducts it into evaporators. Once the lithium chloride has reached the required concentration, the solution is pumped into a treatment plant where unwanted boron or magnesium are filtered. Then it is treated with sodium carbonate. The resulting lithium carbonate is filtered and dried. This process requires two million litres of water to produce a tonne of lithium salt.
This has led to the lowering of the groundwater level around the Atacama coast. Some rivers are dry, most of the indigenous population has no more water to live on. The fact that more and more carob trees are drying also shows how much the groundwater level is falling. They are actually robust desert plants that dig deep into their roots.
Nevertheless, SQM and Albermarle were granted generous rights to use lithium from Chile's Development Agency (CORFO). This means that they are now competing for water. Both companies plan to double their production. SQM talks about doubling to 2020, trying to overtake Albermarle as the largest lithium producer. Critics now warn of a water war in the desert. In Argentina, the third major producer of lithium in South America, the water dispute has been raging for years. He's still ahead of the Bolivians.(徳囯ASK电容器)