| Work Detail |
Both companies had signed an agreement with the government for the exploitation of minerals in the Uyuni salt flats. Both contracts were pending approval by the Legislative Assembly. The court ruling responds to a class-action lawsuit filed by indigenous communities in Nor Lípez. A Bolivian court has ordered the immediate suspension of legislative processing of two lithium industrialization contracts managed by the government of Bolivian President Luis Arce with companies from Russia and China . The measure also instructs Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) and the Ministry of Hydrocarbons to refrain from taking any administrative action related to these contracts until the merits of the legal proceedings are resolved. The Mixed Civil and Commercial, Family, Children and Adolescents, and Criminal Investigation Court of the town of Colcha K, in the department of Potosí, has thus responded to the popular action filed by the Provincial Central of Indigenous Communities of Nor Lípez, which is dedicated to defending the environment and the indigenous rights of more than 50 communities living in the region near the Uyuni salt flats. In September 2024, YLB and the Russian company Uranium One signed a contract to produce 14,000 tons of lithium carbonate per year in the Uyuni salt flats, using direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology and an investment exceeding $970 million. Two months later, YLB signed a contract with the Chinese company Hong Kong CBC for the development of two lithium carbonate production plants, with capacities of 10,000 and 25,000 tons per year, respectively, also using EDL technology and an investment of $1.03 billion. Both contracts were referred to the Legislative Assembly for consideration. However, legislators and energy and environmental analysts denounced that the agreements were not beneficial to the country, were not shared with the affected communities, and were allegedly approved through bribes. These criticisms were added to the request by the Provincial Central Board of Indigenous Communities of Nor Lípez to conduct environmental studies with community participation and implement prior consultation processes. Opposition MP Lissa Claros warned that, although the contracts had not been formally approved, some operations had already begun without authorization. The court ruling halts both the operation of international companies in the Uyuni salt flats and the legislative treatment of the contracts. Claros emphasized that operations in the salt flats cannot continue without an environmental impact study. |
