Francisco José Quiroga, subsecretary of Mining in Mexico explained that the Chinese company Ganfeng Lithium will be in charge of the refining process.
The lithium deposit in Bacadéhuachi, Sonora, is considered the main project in development of this chemical element in the world, so this plan is a reinvention of mining in Mexico, said Francisco José Quiroga, subsecretary of Mining of the Ministry of Economy.
“They rank it as the main lithium project in development in the world. It is not necessary to throw the bells to flight, because it is still necessary to remove it and to dominate the metallurgical part, to separate the lithium from the other minerals that it has”, he commented.
The official explained that this mineral is very important for the generation of renewable energy and the manufacture of batteries.
He explained that, unlike some regions of Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, where lithium is found in a compound in a liquid state, in the Sonora deposit it is in rock, which makes it a bit more difficult to separate it from other minerals.
However, he stressed that the separation of lithium from the other elements will be carried out by the Chinese company Ganfeng Lithium.
“Ganfeng joined the project as a technology partner, that is, it brings the technology to be able to do metallurgy. This gives a lot of certainty to the markets that finance this type of project”, he assured.
The official explained that these projects are financed by exchanges around the world, among which those in Toronto, Australia and the United Kingdom stand out.
He added that the country is a mining power in silver, gold, copper, nickel and zinc and, with this, “mining in Mexico is reinventing itself.”
On the other hand, he trusted that this finding will bring progress and well-being to this region, which he described as remote and vulnerable.
“There is a responsibility of mining companies that are established in a community not to become benefactors, not to become a government but to become a good neighbor, and as a good neighbor, unite to face the challenges with the community, governments and academia. for the country”.
Although he commented that there is no certainty about the soft metal reserves in Sonora, he announced that “a production of 17,500 tons of lithium carbonate is expected initially to reach 35,000 tons.”
The Subsecretary of Mining reported that lithium exploitation has an aggregate tax rate of between 42 and 47 percent: 30 percent of Income Tax, profit sharing, mining royalties (of 7.5 percent of profits) and others. taxes.
“Although there have been some expressions that have asked the government to reduce this rate to make mining more competitive, our response has been that we do not agree to reduce the tax rate, but we do agree to add more value, to seek that investments are more competitive, seeking a better business environment, generating these links, offering this level of dialogue that the Ministry of Economy has to streamline procedures and reduce unnecessary costs, “he said.