Mexico to reserve future lithium production for government

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico wants to declare lithium a “strategic mineral” and reserve any future exploration and mining for the government. The changes are contained in a bill that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent to congress. The bill also changes the Constitution to give the government control over electricity production and distribution. The Secretary of the Interior said Friday that eight concessions for mining lithium that have already been granted would be respected, as long as they are well on the way to producing the metal, which is used in batteries. He said only one private mining company, apparently a Chinese firm, appears to meet those criteria.