The Bolivian mining city of Potosí is the only place in the world where members of the public can legally buy dynamite. “For the miners, the most essential thing is dynamite,” says Jhonny ...

Bolivia aims to develop plants in seven of its 28 salt flats. (Image courtesy of YLB.) Critics also question the feasibility of the UOG deal, which gives the company just 18 months to build a ...

mining companies are moving to the salt flats of the Andes, where over half of the world's known lithium reserves are stored. In June 2023, Bolivia signed deals with Chinese and Russian companies ...

Dried salt collects around the edges of the pools ... “They’ll need vast quantities, more than any other mine in Bolivia.” And finally, there’s the still mostly unspoiled surface of ...

In 2023 Bolivia produced 948 tonnes of lithium carbonate, a white salt that is a precursor to the compounds used in lithium-ion batteries, according to the Mining Ministry. Based on US estimates ...

But extracting the coveted salt means descending into dark caves, then blasting and carrying heavy rock. Faizan Panjwani: The problem is the massive size of the blocks that come from the mine.