Bolivia suspends lithium resource development contracts with Chinese and Russian companies

Two lithium resource development contracts recently signed by Bolivia with Chinese and Russian companies, with a total value of more than US$2 billion, have now been stopped by local courts. The two contracts were signed in 2023 and 2024 respectively, and affected the CBC consortium in which CATL participated and the Uranium One Group under the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation. The project planned to build a direct lithium extraction facility in the Uyuni Salt Lake in southwestern Bolivia. However, due to legal proceedings by local indigenous groups, the project was stopped.