The US and Canadian governments have expressed interest in involving their companies in Mexico’s production of lithium, a key mineral used in the manufacture of electric cars. A report by the U.S. Department of Commerce said battery makers could begin setting up plants in Mexico in the interest of developing a local supply chain for processed lithium. However, it could still be years before we see a fully developed lithium industry. Mexico nationalized lithium mining and extraction in April 2022 and granted exclusive lithium extraction rights to a state-owned company (Lithium for Mexico -LitioMx-). The US Geological Survey (USGS) has identified resources of 1.7 million tonnes of this mineral, ranking Mexico 10th in the world. “However, the deposits are mostly located in clay substrates that are not yet accessible with current technology. Still, U.S. technology could hold the key to unlocking the lithium suspected of being in these deposits,” the Commerce Department said. On Jan. 10, at the 10th Summit of North American Leaders, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recommended that Mexico encourage private investment in the production of its so-called “critical” minerals, such as minerals. B. Lithium, should allow, so that the region in the production of electric cars can become a leader.
According to the USGS, Canada has a lithium reserve of 2.9 million tons, while the US has 750,000 tons. The only lithium production in the US comes from a brine mine in Nevada. Two companies in the United States manufactured a wide range of lithium compounds from lithium carbonate, lithium chloride and lithium hydroxide, both domestic and imported. The consumption of lithium for batteries has increased significantly in recent years as rechargeable lithium batteries are widely used in the growing electric vehicle and portable electronic device market, and are increasingly used in power tools and grid storage applications.
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The Mexican government announced on August 23 last year the formation of Lithium for Mexico (LithiumMx) as a decentralized federal government agency coordinated by the Department of Energy, with its own legal personality and assets, and having technical, operational and managerial responsibilities is autonomous. The purpose of LitioMx is to explore for, mine, exploit and use lithium on national territory and to manage and control the economic value chains of this mineral. In order to fulfill its purpose, Lithium for Mexico’s missions include: developing medium- and long-term strategic programs for the exploration, mining, utilization and utilization of lithium and its economic value chains, as well as research and development of the technology needed in the industry for using lithium.
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