Lithium Deposits Evaluated for Potential Exploitation

The Energy Commission, in collaboration with the Mexican Geological Survey (SGM), is analyzing samples to assess the underground mineral potential in the highlands region of Tamaulipas, confirmed José Ramón Silva, Head of the Commission in Tamaulipas.

At least five deposits have been confirmed by SGM in various municipalities in the highlands area. Through this analysis, it will be possible to determine, among other things, the feasibility of commercial exploitation. Silva mentioned that the commission is awaiting resources for the project, which, if successful, would determine the lithium potential in the state. For the moment, the project is on hold.

“The deposits exist. In fact, SGM has somehow looked into this lithium issue. We now need validation, although it is a sampling that must be done with our own resources,” he added. 

The installation of a lithium plant would boost the development of a new industry in the municipalities of Tula, Jaumave, Bustamante, Miquihuana and Palmillas. According to Silva, the exploitation of lithium will have great social value in a region considered vulnerable. The amount of lithium in the area is currently unknown. Hence, it is important to determine the viability of exploitation or if the quantity is insufficient for commercial purposes

Mexico has estimated lithium reserves of 1.7 million t. According to the US Geological Survey, the country has 82 lithium deposits across 18 states, with 13 located in Sonora, 12 in Puebla, nine in Oaxaca, eight in Nuevo Leon, seven in Durango and five in both Chihuahua and Tamaulipas. Coahuila, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Jalisco, San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas have three each, while Chiapas, Michoacan, Morelos, Sinaloa and Veracruz have one each.

The key issue is that the federal government still lacks certainty about the amount of lithium in the country and which areas beyond Sonora, where the first lithium reserve has already been declared and can only be exploited by the State, will join the map of potential deposits with suitable characteristics to become producers. Experts have warned that the Mexican government will have to invest heavily and that it will take at least 20 years to begin extracting lithium.