Yazman
17th February 2010, 07:46
Source: http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/02/15/massive_lithium_reserves_could_make_bolivia_a_key_ energy_supplier/
Snippet from source (click link for full article):
SALAR DE UYUNI, Bolivia - On the edge of an evaporated sea, where the cracked white earth spreads for hundreds of miles over a desolate horizon, wood scaffolding surrounds the first buildings of a project that could transform South America’s poorest nation into the world’s key energy supplier.
Beneath this high desert in the Andes is about half the planet’s supply of lithium, dwarfing all other known sources of the rare mineral, which has experienced a surge in demand in recent years. It is used in making batteries to power everything from cellphones to electric cars.
The Bolivian government is about to launch a multimillion-dollar pilot project to bore into the pristine salt flats and mine the briny liquid below for the valuable element. The US Geological Survey estimates at least 5.4 million tons of lithium could be extracted from the Salar de Uyuni, compared with just 410,000 tons of reserves in the United States.
“This project is of huge strategic importance for Bolivia - and for the world,’’ said Moises Vallejos, the plant’s head of security, as he pointed to the new brick buildings that will house engineers and scientists who are expected to begin the process of mining lithium this year. “This is the start of something big.’’
What are everybody's thoughts on this?
Snippet from source (click link for full article):
SALAR DE UYUNI, Bolivia - On the edge of an evaporated sea, where the cracked white earth spreads for hundreds of miles over a desolate horizon, wood scaffolding surrounds the first buildings of a project that could transform South America’s poorest nation into the world’s key energy supplier.
Beneath this high desert in the Andes is about half the planet’s supply of lithium, dwarfing all other known sources of the rare mineral, which has experienced a surge in demand in recent years. It is used in making batteries to power everything from cellphones to electric cars.
The Bolivian government is about to launch a multimillion-dollar pilot project to bore into the pristine salt flats and mine the briny liquid below for the valuable element. The US Geological Survey estimates at least 5.4 million tons of lithium could be extracted from the Salar de Uyuni, compared with just 410,000 tons of reserves in the United States.
“This project is of huge strategic importance for Bolivia - and for the world,’’ said Moises Vallejos, the plant’s head of security, as he pointed to the new brick buildings that will house engineers and scientists who are expected to begin the process of mining lithium this year. “This is the start of something big.’’
What are everybody's thoughts on this?