China is looking to be the partner of choice to develop Bolivia's vast lithium reserves. Four Chinese companies are within a group of firms shortlisted by the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy, and state lithium company Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB), to develop direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology. Bolivia authorised several groups to take samples from its salars, or salt lakes, to develop pilot DLE projects capable of producing lithium-ion-battery-grade lithium hydroxide.
NSTL
