Project targeting lithium in Bolivia

POTOSI, Bolivia, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- The Salar de Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia housing a new government project could produce at least 5.4 million tons of lithium, the U.S. Geological Survey says.

The Boston Globe said Monday if the U.S. agency's estimations are correct, the amount of lithium that could be extracted from the salt flat would easily surpass the United States' 410,000 tons of current lithium reserves.

Moises Vallejos, head of security at the Salar de Uyuni plant being built as part of the Bolivian government project, said the project could make Bolivia a major energy supplier for the world.

"This project is of huge strategic importance for Bolivia -- and for the world,'' Vallejos said. "This is the start of something big.''

The extraction of lithium at the location in southwest Bolivia is expected to begin sometime this year.

The Globe said with lithium reserves in both Chile and Argentina nearly depleted, the Bolivian extraction efforts could be vital to meeting the increasing demand for lithium, used in the production of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles.