Mexico looks to reach deal with firm holding Sonoran lithium concessions

[Judi Lynn]

By Murphy Woodhouse
Published: Tuesday, January 24, 2023 - 5:57pm
Updated: Wednesday, January 25, 2023 - 8:03am

Mexico’s president says he hopes to reach a deal with the company that holds major lithium mining concessions in Sonora.

On Tuesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador was asked if an agreement had been reached with that company, all but certainly the Chinese lithium giant Ganfeng, which holds a number of mining concessions in the Sonoran sierra community of Bacadehuachi.

López Obrador said he hoped to sign a deal turning over those concessions to the Mexican government in an effort to avoid a legal dispute, and that negotiations between the economy secretary and company leadership are ongoing.

He went on to say that the company did not have all the necessary permits, and that recent legislation nationalized lithium resources, and prevents private ownership.

https://fronterasdesk.org/content/1836949/mexico-looks-reach-deal-firm-holding-sonoran-lithium-concessions

[Judi Lynn]

1. Mexico working to avoid legal confrontation with private miner after nationalizing lithium industry

24 Jan 2023 | 20:25 UTC


The Mexican government is negotiating an agreement with a lithium mining company to avoid a legal confrontation, after the government nationalized the industry, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Jan. 24.

The mining company obtained a mining permit to operate in the border state of Sonora from the previous administration, he said during his daily morning press conference.

However, the current government wants the company to renounce the option of mining lithium, as the government is preparing to grant an exclusive concession in the area to a newly-created state company, the president said.

Although the private company may have a permit for mining, it does not have other permits for the use of water or for the environmental impact of the activities, needed for it to operate, he said.

Obrador did not mention the name of the company, but according to official filings, the only company that was given a permit during the last administration is a subsidiary of Guanfeng Lithium of China.

More:
https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/products-services/energy-transition/european-long-term-power-forecast