The president made the announcement during a visit to the southwestern department of Potosí, where the famous Salar de Uyuni is located.
Uyuni is considered the world’s second-largest lithium deposit, behind Argentina’s salt flats, and hosts most of the 9 million tonnes of lithium buried beneath the country’s salt flats.
Bolivia, however, has faced challenges taking the necessary steps to build a sustainable lithium industry. So far, the country has barely any production of lithium chemicals.
