• woodrow wilson center
  • ecsp

New Security Beat

Subscribe:
  • mail-to
  • Who We Are
  • Topics
    • Population
    • Environment
    • Security
    • Health
    • Development
  • Columns
    • China Environment Forum
    • Choke Point
    • Dot-Mom
    • Navigating the Poles
    • New Security Broadcast
    • Reading Radar
  • Multimedia
    • Water Stories (Podcast Series)
    • Backdraft (Podcast Series)
    • Tracking the Energy Titans (Interactive)
  • Films
    • Water, Conflict, and Peacebuilding (Animated Short)
    • Paving the Way (Ethiopia)
    • Broken Landscape (India)
    • Scaling the Mountain (Nepal)
    • Healthy People, Healthy Environment (Tanzania)
  • Publications
  • Events
  • Contact Us

NewSecurityBeat

The blog of the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security Program
  • Andrew I Rudman and Cecily Fasanella, Innovation News Network

    Before Breaking Ground: Challenges and Opportunities for Mexican Lithium

    May 25, 2022 By Wilson Center Staff
    Sonora desert

    The original version of this article, by Andrew I Rudman and Cecily Fasanella, appeared on Innovation News Network.

    In response to the growing challenges created by climate change, consumers across the globe are demanding more environmentally friendly products. This demand is particularly evident when examining the automotive market. In 2021, global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) more than doubled from the year before, rising from 3 million to 6.6 million vehicles according to the International Energy Agency. This boom has created a need for lithium, a key component of the rechargeable batteries used to power these vehicles. Referred to as ‘white gold,’ countries with lithium reserves are racing to increase extraction and export deposits for battery production. As automobile and battery manufacturers work to meet demand and avoid supply chain shocks, many are looking toward the untapped potential of Mexican lithium.

    Currently, there are 36 lithium mining concessions in Mexico, all of which are controlled and financed by foreign companies. The largest and most promising of these concessions is in Sonora, Mexico.

    In 2018, Bacanora Lithium reported a discovery of a 243.8 million tonne lithium reserve in Sonora. This is the largest known lithium deposit in the world. According to S&P Global Market Intelligence data, these reserves have a total value of $22.6 bn. Bacanora Lithium is a UK-listed company, however, Chinese lithium giant Ganfeng International Trading holds over 90% of the company’s shares. In December 2020, Bacanora’s CEO, Peter Secker, stated that Bacanora would plan to export the mined lithium to Asian markets for battery production.

    In theory, the economic potential that Sonora’s lithium reserves hold is huge, however, there are major political, technological, and environmental barriers preventing Mexico from striking ‘white gold.’

    Continue Reading on Innovation News Network 

    Sources: Ausenco, Bacanora Lithium, Five Minute Pitch TV, GeoCommunes, Innovation News Network, International Energy Agency, MiningWatch Canada, Red Mexicana de Afectadas/os por la Minería (REMA), Regulatory News Service, S&P Global. 

    Photo Credit: Sonora desert landscape. Courtesy of Richard Nantais, Shutterstock.com. 

    Topics: energy, environment, minerals, natural resources

Join the Conversation

  • RSS
  • subscribe
  • facebook
  • G+
  • twitter
  • iTunes
  • podomatic
  • youtube
Tweets by NewSecurityBeat

Trending Stories

  • unfccclogo1
  • Pop at COP: Population and Family Planning at the UN Climate Negotiations

Featured Media

Backdraft Podcast

play Backdraft
Podcasts

More »

What You're Saying

  • shutterstock_1858965709 Break the Bias: Breaking Barriers to Women’s Global Health Leadership
    Sarah Ngela Ngasi: Nous souhaitons que le partenaire nous apporte son soutien technique et financier.
  • shutterstock_1858965709 Break the Bias: Breaking Barriers to Women’s Global Health Leadership
    Sarah Ngela Ngasi: Nous sommes une organisation féminine dénommée: Actions Communautaires pour le Développement de...
  • hongqiao-liu1 As China Adjusts for “True Cost” of Rare Earths, What Does It Mean for Decarbonization?
    Anthony Maw: It is just another one of those "inconvenient truths". Western defense and security analysts often...

Related Stories

  • Screen Shot 2022-09-02 at 12.16.38 PMBolivia and Lithium: Can slow and steady win the race?
  • shutterstock_293087096_2Preventing a “Green Resource Curse”: Opportunities and Risks of Mining in the Global Energy Transition
  • woodrow
  • ecsp
  • RSS Feed
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • Publications
  • Events
  • Wilson Center
  • Contact Us
  • Print Friendly Page

© Copyright 2007-2023. Environmental Change and Security Program.

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. All rights reserved.

Developed by Vico Rock Media

Environmental Change and Security Program

Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

  • One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
  • 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
  • Washington, DC 20004-3027

T 202-691-4000