National deputies of the ruling coalition Frente de Todos (FdT) officially presented a bill today that aims to declare lithium natural reserves —mostly located in the northern provinces— as a “strategic resource,” and described its exploitation and exploration as a key for the development of the country. “Not only do we fail to industrialize it in our country, but they loot, leave us with contamination, and take it at bargain prices. “It’s time to break away with the extractivist-exporter model, change the mining code, amend the Mining Investments law, and move forward with a model of national development and defense of our sovereignty,” said Alderete. In a press release, Alderete explained that lithium “became in recent years one of the minerals that sparked the most interest in the world. Argentina, Chile and Bolivia are home to around 50 million tonnes of lithium resources, studies by the US Geological Survey show, and the provinces surrounding the tri-border region are known as South America’s lithium triangle.

Source: Bueno Aires Herald May 03, 2023 03:38 UTC