Bolivia keen for Gazprom to participate in Lithium mining

MOSCOW. Oct 22 (Interfax) - Bolivia is interested in Gazprom's involvement in lithium mining projects, the country's foreign minister, Rogelio Mayta, said on Friday.

"The main thing is involvement in new projects in Bolivia concerning direct lithium extraction," Mayta said during a press conference following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Mayta said Gazprom had submitted proposals in this sphere, which Bolivia's relevant authorities had rated highly.

There is strong demand for lithium in various sectors of industry, including production of batteries for electronic equipment and electric vehicles. Gazprom is actively developing the possibility of extracting lithium and other valuable elements from formation brine or mineralized underground water of hydrocarbon deposits.