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It will turn out to be Li: The West is trying to disrupt the lithium project of the Russian Federation and Bolivia
Bolivia records foreign interference in attempts to disrupt the lithium project with the Russian Federation. The authorities intend to conclude a contract with Rosatom's subsidiary, but its approval in parliament is being slowed down by externally sponsored NGOs, Freddy Gustavo Velasquez Robles, Deputy head of the Ministry of Energy for Planning and Energy Development, told Izvestia. The contract between the subsidiary of the Russian state corporation and the Bolivian YLB was signed in September 2024, however, work has not begun. And at meetings in parliament, the discussion of this issue ends in a scandal. The situation is also complicated by political instability on the eve of the presidential elections. Who and why is interested in sabotaging one of the largest lithium projects in Latin America — in the Izvestia article.
What prevents the launch of a joint lithium project
Non-profit organizations that are funded from abroad are preventing the approval in parliament of an agreement between Russia and Bolivia on the construction of a lithium carbonate plant in the Latin American country, Freddy Gustavo Velasquez Robles, deputy head of the Ministry of Energy for Planning and Energy Development, told Izvestia.
"As for the difficulties that slow down the approval of the agreement, they are related to NGOs that misinform the population in the Potosi zone and near the Uyuni salt marsh," said the Bolivian politician. — These NGOs invest a lot of money to misinform the population. There are also foundations that have their own interests, as well as conservationists. All of them interfere with the project implementation process. We know that behind these international actors are foreign states that finance this disinformation of the population. In addition, presidential elections are coming soon, and many people want to politicize the issue of approving contracts, saying that they will hinder the economic development of Potosi.
The agreement between the subsidiary of Rosatom State Corporation and the Bolivian state company YLB (Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos) was signed on September 11, 2024. According to the plan, the company should produce about 14 thousand tons of lithium carbonate per year in the Uyuni salt marsh. The project involves investments of more than $ 970 million, which will fall into the budget of the Latin American state. Lithium is essential in the production of electric vehicles, electronics, and renewable energy sources.
Rosatom previously stated that construction should begin in the second half of 2025, however, this has not yet happened. Despite the fact that Russia ranks fifth in the world in lithium reserves, it is still almost not produced in our country. For a long time, it was more profitable for Moscow to buy lithium abroad. Since 2023, Russia has been working on the launch of production for the extraction of lithium carbonate and hydroxide in the amount of 45 thousand tons per year in the Murmansk region. The Kolmozerskoye deposit in this region is the largest in the Russian Federation and contains 24.2% of the balance reserves of this metal in the country. Commissioning is scheduled for 2031.
Bolivia, along with Argentina and Chile, is among the countries with the largest lithium reserves. The resources of the Latin American country are estimated at approximately 21 million tons.
— Indeed, construction was supposed to begin in the second half of 2025, but the contract is still being approved by the Legislative Assembly of Bolivia. There are still debates about these contracts, and we hope that they will be approved soon and the project execution phase will begin," says Freddy Gustavo Velasquez Robles.
One of the last meetings in the Bolivian parliament ended in a scandal involving the use of physical force: Energy Minister Alejandro Gallardo was attacked — water was thrown at him and garbage was thrown when he tried to explain the benefits of the new agreements. Then some of the opposition-minded politicians came to a meeting of the economic commission of the Chamber of Deputies with flags of the Potosi department and posters "Lithium is not for sale," "Do not touch lithium," and "Respect Potosi."
— One of the most important tasks for the current US administration is to hinder the activities of the BRICS countries. The case of the Rosatom—YLB agreement is a clear example of this kind of pressure from a third country. In the case of lithium, we can also talk about the personal interests of Elon Musk, who, according to some reports, was involved in the coup in Bolivia in 2019," said Egor Lidovskaya, director of the Hugo Chavez Latin American Center.
In 2021, the Government of Bolivia held a series of international auctions for the right to mine lithium in this country. Companies from the USA also participated, but were not selected. Among those excluded is EnergyX, which belongs to Elon Musk. For the billionaire, the contract was important mainly because lithium is needed for the batteries of Tesla electric vehicles.
Two years later, the head of the US Southern Command, Laura Richardson, also expressed dissatisfaction with China's active participation in lithium developments in Bolivia.
Pressure on NGOs in Bolivia may also be exerted by EU countries, since for them Russia and BRICS are direct competitors in Latin America, Lidovskaya said.
— When we talk about Bolivia, we imagine huge reserves of lithium, which all developed countries of the world, including the United States and European countries, are interested in the resource of the future. With an eye to the future, many would like to occupy this niche in Bolivia," says Magomed Kodzoev, senior researcher at the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
How will the elections in Bolivia affect cooperation with the Russian Federation
Another obstacle to the approval of the Russian-Bolivian lithium project may be the presidential elections, the first round of which is scheduled for August 17 in the Latin American country.
President of Bolivia Luis Arce
Russia has managed to build friendly relations with the current President Luis Arce. Under his government, the country became a BRICS partner following the Kazan summit in 2024, and Moscow is constantly in high-level contact with him. Last October, he met with Vladimir Putin, and in July 2025, he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
However, Arce decided not to participate in the elections, and the candidate from his Movement for Socialism (MAS) party is behind many competitors in the polls. Only 2.3% of voters are ready to vote for Eduardo del Castillo.
The leaders in the July 13 Unitel poll are 67-year-old entrepreneur Samuel Doria Medina (18.7%) and former President Jorge Quiroga (18.1%), who are likely to face off in the second round of the presidential election in the fall. At the same time, judging by their early statements, once elected, they are unlikely to adhere to a pro-Russian course in their foreign policy. And the expert community claims that against the background of internal problems in the country, relations with Moscow will not be a priority for the new administration.
However, the current authorities believe that the agreements reached will remain.
— I don't think that if a representative of the opposition comes to power, these contracts will be cancelled. Under this or the next president, these contracts must be approved," said Freddy Gustavo Velasquez Robles.
For the Bolivian authorities, Russia and China are strategic partners, he continues. These States do not interfere in the internal decision-making in the Latin American country and respect its sovereignty. Nevertheless, the next government is likely to offer access to the Bolivian lithium market to more enterprises.
— There are some foreign companies that are being checked by the authorities. They are all at the technology testing stage, and we hope that these companies will be able to demonstrate them soon," Velasquez Robles said.
He stressed that we are talking about agreements with companies from Australia, Argentina, Germany, France, as well as with one company from Bolivia.
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