GreenergyDaily

Jun. 3, 2025

A local court ruling in Bolivia’s Andean region of Potosí has ordered the suspension of two high-profile contracts for lithium industrialisation with Chinese and Russian firms, effectively halting over $2bn in combined proposed investments, according to IntelliNews.

The contracts in question, signed with Russia’s state owned Uranium One Group, a multinational conglomerate that is part of the management network of TENEX Group under Rosatom State Corporation, and China’s Hong Kong CBC (a subsidiary of CATL), were designed to establish large-scale lithium carbonate plants using Russian-developed direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology in the Salar de Uyuni.

These agreements had yet to receive legislative approval but had already prompted preliminary activities on-site—something opponents argue occurred without proper authorisation or environmental assessments.

The legal order, issued by a mixed court in the locality of Colcha K, was prompted by a popular action filed by the Central Única Provincial de Comunidades Originarias de Nor Lípez, representing more than 50 indigenous communities in the Uyuni area. Their petition cited violations of environmental rights and indigenous self-determination, demanding comprehensive environmental impact studies and formal consultation processes prior to any industrial development.