“In all cases there must be associations of the public company with private entities and we do not want lithium to be taken out of Sonora,” he said at a regular news conference, referring to government plans to exploit the mineral in the northern Mexican state.
The role of foreign companies will be centered in building infrastructure and state entities will hold the majority stakes in the projects, he added.
Lithium will be used for purposes such as the production of electric car batteries, but only factories installed in Sonora will be able to take advantage of the mineral, Lopez Obrador noted.
The president has urged the private sector to work with the new state miner, saying the size of the investment needed means the government needs partners.
Nonetheless, analysts argue that companies are more likely to focus near-term investments in Chile or Argentina’s sprawling salt flats, where industries are more established and…
