Latest news on Bolivian energy storage export companies

The site in the municipality of Baures, Bolivia. Image: Cegasa. The largest lithium-ion battery storage system in Bolivia is nearing completion at a co-located solar PV site, with project partners including Jinko, SMA and battery storage provider Cegasa.

Bolivia and China have signed an agreement for the extraction of lithium from the South American country. The service contract, worth US$1.03 billion, will enable the development of the final engineering design, construction and operation of a plant that will produce 10,000 tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate per year.

Bolivia aims to develop plants in seven of its 28 salt flats. (Image courtesy of YLB.) Bolivia state-owned Yacimientos de Litio Boliviano (YLB) has shortlisted four companies to advance into the next phase of a bid to develop pilot lithium extraction plants in the country's salt flats.

The South American landlocked country has a history of unfulfilled lithium dreams. It has tried and failed to develop its industry several times since the 1990s, producing only an accumulated 1,400 tonnes since 2018. In late 2023, Bolivia opened its first industrial-scale lithium plant.

CBC will use its advanced technology and expertise to execute this project, positioning Bolivia as a key player in the global lithium battery industry chain,” he said. Since 2021, Bolivia's YLB has worked on the exploration and quantification of lithium, reaching a record 23 million metric tons.

The tender, launched earlier this year, aims to develop plants in seven of Bolivia's 28 salt flats, including Uyuni, Coipasa, Pastos Grandes, Capina, Cañapa, Chiguana, and Empexa. CBC submitted a plan to extract lithium from residual brine through the adsorption method.