ECLAC calls for a lithium production development agenda in Latin America

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on Thursday urged at its headquarters that Latin American countries develop a productive development agenda around lithium to boost its extraction for the benefit of economic activities directly and indirectly linked to the metal. Santiago de Chile.

This week the agency released a publication titled “Lithium Extraction and Processing. Opportunities and Challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean.”

The text referred to the role of lithium-producing countries in the region, particularly Argentina, Brazil and Chile, in the global value chain of lithium-ion batteries, which is the current main use of lithium.

In addition, it concluded with policy guidelines that can contribute to the productive development agenda around lithium, as well as the manufacture of this and other metals in clean technologies for energy transition and electric mobility.

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean added: “From the countries’ point of view, this requires policies and regulations that encourage the creation of public goods, the development of soft and hard capacities and infrastructures, and the mobilization and channelization of the necessary resources.”

For the international organization, lithium is a hitherto irreplaceable input for the production of lithium-ion batteries, a key technology for decarbonising transportation and energy storage generated from renewable sources.

He added that it is therefore possible to contribute to the economic development of countries through a positive impact through the creation of greater value, that is, an increase in product, exports, employment and tax collection.

He also explained that although the context of the energy transition and the expansion of electric mobility present opportunities, they also present challenges for the countries of the region that are rich in lithium resources.

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The region has significant participation in the first stage of the lithium batteries value chain (extraction/processing). But they said that in the production stages of precursors, cathodes / anodes, cells and batteries, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Europe are leading.

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