Buenos Aires signs agreement with Mexico to jointly advance lithium development

Buenos Aires governor Axel Kicillof signed a cooperation agreement between the Argentine province’s scientific research commission CIC and Mexican state lithium company LitioMx.

The aim is to promote joint work between researchers from Argentina and Mexico in the development of lithium and its value chain.

The agreement was signed during the visit of the Argentine official for the inauguration of Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum this week.

"Lithium is a strategic resource for Latin America and with this agreement we are going to protect it so that it does not become a business for speculators," Kicillof said, according to Argentine media.

“We are facing a new path of opportunities for Latin America,” said the governor. “The solution to the problems we face today must not be only national, because no country can save itself alone.”

When asked about the agreement, Sheinbaum said given the characteristics of lithium in Mexico a different technology is required than that currently used in Argentina and Chile to extract it from salt flats.

“Lithium in our country has special characteristics, it is mainly found in Sonora and some other northern states. The way lithium is found in Mexico is that it is mixed with clays,” the president said in her morning press conference.

“The [Mexican petroleum institute] IMP already has a technology to extract lithium from clays, [humanities, sciences and technology council] Conacyt also developed another technology with research institutes,” said Sheinbaum. And the objective is for this technology to be put into practice to be able to extract lithium and not export it, but to have the entire production chain here in Mexico, which is the essence of the Sonora Plan, which was already in place with LitioMx and the nationalization of lithium. This development is up to us.” 

In April, the then presidential candidate assured that, if elected, IMP geologists would be in charge of developing a new technology to extract lithium from clay, so that Mexico can take advantage of this mineral and boost the electromobility industry.

In March, Sheinbaum also proposed that state oil company Pemex participate in the exploitation of lithium and renewable energy, which raised doubts about the future of LitioMx.

However, in July, the then president-elect of the ruling Morena party clarified that Pemex could venture into lithium mining with LitioMx as a way to diversify its business and have new sources of income.