Doubts continue to surround Bolivia’s potential to become a major lithium carbonate producer as the South American country announced plans to start the construction of an industrial-scale plant in 2011.
Deputy minister of productive development, Hector Cordova, claimed state-owned mining company Corporacion Minera de Bolivia (Comibol) will construct a lithium carbonate and potash plant at the Salar de Uyuni in Potosi, southern Bolivia.
Explaining Bolivia’s plans in an interview with BNAmericas, Cordova added that Comibol had started up a lithium carbonate pilot plant at the site, which has planned nameplate capacity of 500 tpa.
The pilot plant start up has been delayed by over a year, with Comibol previously targeting December 2009 to start producing sample-sized volumes of lithium carbonate material for testing.
One of Latin America’s poorest nations Bolivia led by socialist President Evo Morales sees exploiting its vast lithium reserves as a way to revitalise...