LitioMx To Work Together With CONACYT

Following the official creation of Litio Para México (LitioMx), President López Obrador continues to adjust details regarding the company’s structure and its relationships. López Obrador floated the possibility that the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACyT) could support the recently-created state lithium company.

During his Fourth Governmental Report, President López Obrador announced that CONACyT, an institution whose main objective is to promote scientific research and technological modernization in Mexico, will help LitioMx to identify infrastructure and human resource capabilities. With CONACyT’s support, the company can then integrate its research and development (R&D) approach into the lithium value chain. 

The decision is in line with Article 6 of the decree that created LitioMx, published in the Federal Official Gazette (DOF). According to the article, the company must manage and control all the required activities for the production, transformation and harnessing of lithium. For this purpose, the company has the agency to associate with private and public institutions alike to further its agenda. 

Since the creation of LitioMx, the government has been revealing new details regularly. Most of the information concerns the federal government’s plan to transform Sonora into a renewable energy hub. On Aug. 31, 2022, MBN reported that López Obrador appointed the Governor of Sonora, Alfonso Durazo, as the company’s project manager. A day after Durazo's nomination, López Obrador announced that Pablo Taddei will be the company’s Director General. According to the president, it is a great opportunity to give a “young man” the chance to participate in a project of this scope, since he said that Taddei has relevant experience in the field and is well-prepared with his postgraduate studies in Environmental Sciences. 

In addition, López Obrador announced that since the federal government does not have enough economic resources and lithium exploitation is a capital-intensive activity, the sector will function backed by public-private investment. Consequently, the government will review eight contracts awarded by previous governments to analyze if they remain viable. “We would not have enough if it was only public, it requires a lot of investment. We need the private sector. It will have a lot of support from national and foreign investors. They are interested in participating in the new Mexican Industry. However, we will make sure that Mexicans benefit above anyone else. My government will pursue that this new resource belongs to the people,” said López Obrador.