Lithium boom takes shape in Latin America – by Daniel Tyson (Capital.com – September 6, 2021)

https://capital.com/

The Lithium Road runs through Latin America. It crosses three countries – Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile – whose economies are as bone-shakingly unstable as a potholed highway.

Chris Berry, president of House Mountain Partners, told Capital.com that lithium production, “is set to ramp up dramatically in the next few years” in those countries. By 2025, the Lithium triangle is expected to provide 60 to 70% of the globe’s lithium used in products ranging from electric vehicles to cell phones and laptops.

The abundance and growing demand for what is known as the white gold of renewable energy has caused countries – mainly Asian – to ink favourable deals with South American governments. It’s estimated those deals could add more than $1trn dollars to local economies, with China easily leading countries signing extraction agreements.

However, not everyone is eager to enter contracts with distant governments, recalling with worry the region’s painful colonial past of foreigners exploiting people and land.

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