The administration of Bolivia’s new president, R. Paz, is set to review the terms of the agreement between the state-owned corporation Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) and Russia’s Uranium One Group, which is part of the Rosatom structure. The contract, signed on September 11, 2024, provides for the construction of a lithium carbonate production plant at the Salar de Uyuni salt flat in the Potosí department—one of the world’s largest lithium deposits, with reserves estimated at about 11.2 million tonnes, or nearly 38% of global reserves.
The agreement has not yet been ratified by Bolivia’s parliament, and political, environmental, and legal factors are complicating its further implementation. The contract was concluded under former president L. Arce, while the new administration has declared its intention to increase transparency in cooperation with foreign companies and to expand engagement with the United States, without formally severing relations with Moscow.
Additional pressure comes from the authorities of Potosí and local communities, which criticize the economic terms of agreements with Russian companies and point to environmental risks. They are calling for a separate law on lithium extraction, higher allocations to local budgets, and a full environmental impact assessment. Key parameters of the project remain unclear, including profit-sharing arrangements, extraction technologies, and environmental safety guarantees. Bolivian legal experts also warn of potential financial and legal risks in the event of disputes with Russia.
Delays or a revision of the ratification process signal a shift in La Paz’s priorities and increase risks for Rosatom. For the Russian side, this could mean losing access to one of the world’s key lithium resources, while Bolivia gains room to adjust the terms and potentially attract Western partners.
