Bolivia seeks the best technology for the use of evaporite resources

By YLB

This is a machine translation of the original press release issued in Spanish.

The president of the National Strategic Public Company of Bolivian Lithium Deposits (YLB), Karla Calderón, reported that the international call, launched days ago by the state company, seeks to attract investments and the best technology for the use of evaporite resources in seven salt flats. Bolivians.

“Our goal is to work with the most serious companies possible, interested in this process. We seek to offer us the best features in terms of technology to make the decision as a State,” he stated in an interview with Bolivia TV.

YLB launched the international call with the objective of implementing projects for the development of evaporite resources in the salt flats of Coipasa, Uyuni, Pastos Grandes, Capina, Cañapa, Chiguana and Empexa, located in the departments of Oruro and Potosí, with technological, economic and financial.

Calderón indicated that the selection process will be in charge of a multidisciplinary commission from the state company, which will carry out the evaluation in several phases; In the first, the technical, legal and administrative part of each of the proposals that are presented will be assessed.

In the following phases, the authorized companies will be able to take samples of the salt flats to carry out preliminary tests of the proposed technology, then they must demonstrate the technical and environmental parameters, in addition to the optimization of the use of resources that adapt to the characteristics of each one. of the seven salt flats that are the subject of the call.

The authority explained that the evaluation phases will culminate with the signing of agreements with the finalist companies for the installation of pilot plants and necessary studies that will allow the installation of industrial-scale plants.

“The agreement stage does not involve expenses on the part of the Bolivian State, it is on the part of the investor who is coming to risk and test his technology, in the event that this turns out positively, a contract can be negotiated in the following stage,” Calderón clarified.

“This call responds to the expressed interest of several countries to participate in the industrialization of lithium, such as countries in Asia, the European Union, North America and South America as well; we have informed all of them about the conditions of the sovereign model that Bolivia has,” he added.

The authority said that the international call is published on the website www.ylb.gob.bo and YLB's official social networks, and the results of each of the evaluation phases will also be public.

“We are going to send the call to all embassies to reach as many companies as possible in the world,” he added.

This is the second international call that YLB launches within the framework of the industrialization of Bolivian lithium. The first was in 2021, when 20 companies presented themselves, of which five reached the last phase.

Of those selected companies, three signed agreements with YLB: Citic Guoan Group, CBC de China and Uranium One Group, the last two will apply Direct Lithium Extraction (EDL) technology in the Salar de Uyuni, with a view to installing industrial complexes of lithium carbonate.