On 29 February 2024, Christophe Poinssot, BRGM Deputy Director General, and Karla Calderón Davalos, CEO of the state-owned company Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB), signed an agreement to jointly further knowledge of the hydrogeology of the Bolivian salt flats.
© BRGM
During his visit to France, Franklin Molina Ortiz, Bolivia's Minister of Energy and Hydrocarbons, BRGM and the state-owned company Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB), at a meeting with Benjamin Gallezot, inter-ministerial delegate for the procurement of strategic minerals and metals, signed a cooperation agreement, on 29 February 2024.
Studying the hydrogeology of the salt flats to preserve the aquifers
Bolivia has some of the largest lithium resources in the world, and has commissioned the state-owned company YLB to develop them through partnerships. However, lithium extraction from the Bolivian salt flats creates hydraulic constraints on the corresponding aquifers that need to be accurately assessed.
The agreement between YLB and BRGM aims to study the hydrogeology of the Bolivian salt flats, to better understand the relationships between these and nearby aquifers. BRGM and YLB will make recommendations to limit the overall impact of lithium extraction.
