Bolivia, with the largest deposits of lithium in the world, is seeking to partner with governments of Telangana and India to develop business models and transfer of technology to manufacture Li-ion batteries.
Ambassador of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to India, Juan Jose Cortez Rojas, on Wednesday revealed this on the sidelines of the Electric Vehicle Summit 2019. “Maybe some Indian companies can settle in Bolivia. And also the State company, the Lithium Deposits of Bolivia, could come to India and bring some of materials, because we don’t have everything that is needed to build a battery. Battery technology is a complex technology and with supply from our side, and knowledge of Indian companies, we can do something together,” he said, Bolivia, he said, produces as much as 15,000 tons of lithium which can be exported to several countries in the world. Taking questions, he said that at the moment, there are no exports to India and pointed to the presence of Chinese and German companies in Bolivia. Earlier during the day, the Ambassador expressed at the summit the expectation of future meetings with the Telangana government which would yield ‘solid agreements’.
Mr. Rojas pointed out that lithium is a valuable commodity and portended an ‘exponential increase’ in its demand but also issued a world of caution. “We expect the energy industry will manage it properly. Because this time, we don’t have the opportunity as one century ago with hydrocarbons, to consider also the impact of human beings and nature. And we have to avoid chaos and devastation,” he said. Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce, said that Telangana offers opportunities for original equipment manufacturers, component manufacturers and start-ups. William Hopkinson, Acting British Deputy High Commissioner, touched upon the possibility of collaboration between the two countries.
