Rumored Lithium Numbers Have No Basis: SGM
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Rumored Lithium Numbers Have No Basis: SGM

Photo by:   The Climate Reality Project, Unsplash
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Antonio Trujillo By Antonio Trujillo | Junior Journalist & Industry Analyst - Thu, 10/21/2021 - 11:44

There are no clear numbers nor exact amounts of lithium reserves in the country, and the figures currently discussed are not accurate, reports Flor de María Harp, Director of the Mexican Geological Survey (SGM).

 The lithium figures that have been disclosed to the media due to the recent proposed electric reform sent to congress by President López Obrador are not accurate. “I am not saying who ever said that we have 243.8 million tons of lithium, it is information that is contained in a very serious technical report made by a company in Sonora, but it confuses the information because there are 243 million tons of clay mineral that contain lithium,” she added.

Harp detailed that the study specifically detailed those 243 million tons of lithium, compared to Bolivia, which currently holds the world's biggest lithium reserves at 20 million tons. “So, if that were true, then we would be swimming in lithium. This is where the misinformation comes in.” The SGM warned as well of the inexistence of any official numbers.

Harp also stated that the SGM is working intensely and very hard these days to determine the final list of strategic minerals, which, she says, have so far not been detailed in the reform. “We are going to assess what resources we have, who is exploring them, who is exploiting them, and how much of those have already been exploited, and whether there are known resources and known reserves, which are two different indicators," she explained. She went on to say that the list will be complicated given the changing nature of technology, because the metals that are strategic today, will not be so tomorrow.

Sahuaripa, Sonora municipal president Luis Carlos Galindo said that speculations have come up with a sort of myth surrounding lithium. “In our state where they have made these explorations, so far, they have not taken it [lithium] out,” he said.

Notwithstanding the mounting interest in lithium in the country, experts are convinced that Mexico is far from being a “lithium powerhouse,” as reported by MBN. 81.2 percent of reserves and 86.5 percent of production are both concentrated in only three countries: Australia, Chile, and China. “Much information is still missing, and it should be explored with significant resources in order to have data that could tell us if there is really any lithium potential," said Karina Rodríguez, a mining specialist.

Photo by:   The Climate Reality Project, Unsplash

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