And again without Chile and without LPI:
December 12,2018 / 4:32 PM / Updated 17 hours ago
Germany secures access to vastlithium deposit in BoliviaMichael NienaberBERLIN(Reuters)
- Germany and Bolivia on Wednesday sealed a partnership for theindustrial use of lithium, a key raw material for battery cell production, inan important step to become less dependent on Asian market leaders in thedawning age of electric cars. Interest in battery metals such as cobalt, nickel and lithium is soaring asthe auto industry scrambles to build more electric cars and cut noxious fumesfrom vehicles powered by fossil fuels in light of stricter emission rules. “Germany should become a leading location for battery cell production. Alarge part of production costs is linked to raw materials,” German EconomyMinister Peter Altmaier said. “German industry is therefore well advised to secure its needs for lithiumearly in order to avoid falling behind and slipping into dependency,” Altmaiersaid, adding the deal was “an important building block” to secure this supply. With the joint venture, Bolivian state company YLB is teaming up withGermany’s privately-owned ACI Systems to develop its massive Uyuni salt flatand build a lithium hydroxide plant as well as a factory for electric vehiclebatteries in Bolivia. ACI Systems is also in talks to supply companies based in Germany andelsewhere in Europe with lithium from Bolivia. The joint venture aims to produce up to 40,000 tons of lithium hydroxide peryear from 2022 over a period of 70 years.
Wolfgang Schmutz, CEO of ACI Group, the parent company of ACI Systems, saidmore than 80 percent of the lithium would be exported to Germany. ACI Systems is in talks to supply a big German carmaker with lithium,according to a person familiar with the project. An ACI Systems spokeswoman declined to comment.
MORE CONTROL
For Germany, the public-private partnership is part of wider governmentefforts to support the production of battery cells in Europe and help companiesget more control over the value-added chain of electric vehicles. The government has earmarked 1 billion euros to support domestic companieslooking to produce battery cells for electric vehicles as a way to reduceGerman carmakers’ dependence on Asian suppliers and protect jobs at risk fromthe shift away from combustion engines. Slideshow (8 Images)For Bolivia, the deal to extract lithium from the Uyuni salt flats in theAndes, one of the world’s largest deposits, enables the government to bringjobs to a region plagued by poverty. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, economy minister of Germany’s southwestern stateof Baden-Wuerttemberg, the home region of ACI Systems, said the lithium dealwould help German carmakers to become less dependent on Asian suppliers of carbatteries. The success of the venture now depends on whether both sides can reconcileeconomic interests with environmental and social requirements, she added. LITHIUM TRIANGLE Along with Argentina and Chile, Bolivia is part of South America’s so-called“lithium triangle”. The country has one of the world’s largest reservoirs ofthe metal, but so far has failed to set up a large-scale production.
Warm weather chills Zara ownerInditex & UK's SuperdryPresident Evo Morales has sought to keep lithium from being exported merelyas raw material and Germany’s willingness to help build production facilitiesin Bolivia played a key role in the decision to start the joint venture. When Bolivia sought a foreign partner to develop Uyuni, a Chinese companyseemed a natural fit, given China’s dominance in the global lithium supplychain and its strong ties with La Paz. Instead, Bolivia picked ACI Systems, a company from southern Germanyuntested in lithium that nonetheless beat seven rivals from China, Russia andCanada. Backing from German federal and regional ministries was key to persuadingBolivia ACI’s bid was serious, company and government officials from Boliviaand Germany told Reuters.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...vast-lithium-deposit-in-bolivia-idUSKBN1OB206
