German TV Program on lithium in the Salar

German Tv channel 3sat has a 30 mins documentary tonight at 9.30 pm. You can also watch it online and find more information here.

Worker in the Salar de Uyuni © Daniel Hofer, Bolivia 2010

English article at National Geographic

There is an interesting article by National Geographic in which bolivian economist Carlos Zuleta (whom I photographed in October 2010) says Bolivia won’t be able to produce any Lithium carbonate  within the next 14 months. The government though says first lithium exports will happen in a few weeks.  We’ll see.

German report on “Deutschlandradio Kultur”

Titled “Der Schatz im Salzsee“, there is a longer report on the Lithium production in the Salar de Uyuni on Deutschlandradio Kultur. German only.

German tv about lithium

German TV Channel ZDF had a short video on lithium production in the Salar de Uyuni last week. It’s quiet a optimistic (even naive?) one, saying things like “Bolivia turns into the Saudi Arabia of Lithium” without mentioning all the problems and challenges that are connected with this huge project. In german only.

The Devils Miner

By chance I found out that the mine at the Cerro Rico where I spent some time, the Cumbre / Cumbre II, played an important role in the following documentary: 

The Devil’s miner is an interesting and also sad documentary, focussing on the 14 year old Basilio Vargas who has been working in the Cumbre mine since he was 10, and wishes to become a teacher later. As the wages in the Cumbre mine were not very high, he moved on to a bigger mine, so I didn’t meet him. Would be interesting to know if he still works somewhere in the mines or if he could follow his dream and escape the hard work in the mines. Higly recommended.

German Article by Zeit.de

Zeit online has a german article that gives a short overview on the lithium project in Bolivia. It´s a rather pessimistic article, but the more time I spend here the more I understand why.

Online Articles on Lithium etc.

ENGLISH

The New Yorker “Lithium dreams”

The New York Times “In Bolivia, Untapped Bounty Meets Nationalism”

The Washingont Post “Troves of lithium, valuable for batteries, boost mood in Bolivia and Afghanistan”

The Guardian “Lithium: the gift of Pachamama”

GERMAN

Die Zeit “Der Schatz am Silbersee”

Das Handelsblatt “Lithium – das begeehrte Oel von morgen”

Technology Review “Der Schatz im Salzsee”

TAZ “Morales soll Arbeitsplaetze schaffen”

Scharf Links “Boliviens Rohstoffreichtum im Visier imperialistischer Wirtschaftskonkurrenz und (militärischer) Bündnisse.”

 Sueddeutsche Zeitung “Salziges Gold”

Korea and Bolivia sign deal on precious lithium

Only a few days before my trip to Bolivia, I just read that South Korea and Bolivia have signed a memorandum of understanding about a future collaboaration concerning mining and processing lithium in Bolivia.

“In Seoul Thursday, Bolivian President Evo Morales agreed on Korean corporate participation in his country’s lithium development at a meeting with President Lee. The two leaders also signed a memorandum of understanding on developing lithium mines given that Bolivia has the world’s largest lithium reserves. If negotiations go well, a consortium of Korean companies will help build lithium battery factories in the Latin American country. Seoul has many hurdles to overcome before the final contract, however. It also needs to beat other countries seeking to secure lithium such as Japan, China and France. Hopefully, Korea will seal the deal and become an exemplary model for resource diplomacy and investment.”

More here and here.

English video on the Lithium in Bolivia

In order to give you a first idea of the topic of my thesis, please see the following videos in english or german.

ORF Video on Lithium in Bolivia – german