"Bolivian communities push back against foreign-backed lithium projects", 17 April 2025

...In September 2024, Bolivia’s state-owned lithium company, Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB), signed a $970 million contract with Russia’s state-owned Uranium One Group to develop a new lithium plant within Colcha K municipality. Just two months later, YLB secured another deal, this time worth $1.03 billion with China’s CBC, a subsidiary of CATL, the world’s biggest manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, to establish two additional plants nearby...

For local residents, however, the benefits aren’t so clear. The new lithium plants are set to pump large quantities of freshwater from areas south of the Salar, including Nor Lípez Native Community Land, a recognized Indigenous territory. The community here farms potato and quinoa, raises cattle and llamas, and engages in tourism — the backbones of the local economy. 

Over the past year, Colque said he’s watched in dismay as YLB drilled more than 10 wells around Salar de Uyuni to assess groundwater availability for the new lithium plants...

In a meeting held by the Nor Lípez Lithium Advisory Council in February 2025, community leaders voted to “demand the expulsion of the CBC and Uranium One companies from Bolivia.” Attendees at the gathering accused the companies of plundering local lithium reserves and wanting to turn local communities into “slaves” on their own land.

“They never consulted us before these contracts were signed,” said Julieta Uyuli Bartolomé, general secretary of the provincial association of Indigenous communities, who joined the gathering. Her group represents 53 Indigenous communities surrounding Salar de Uyuni...

...CBC hosted a public assembly in the city of Potosí, where it was met by an angry audience shouting their concerns about the new lithium plants. Meanwhile, in the small village of San Cristóbal, government representatives advocating for the projects were driven out of a community meeting by angry locals. Bartolomé said the government and companies should have considered the community earlier in the process...

In recent weeks, community organizations have submitted a letter to the United Nations requesting direct intervention to assess the impact of these projects and potential violations of their human rights. They’ve also met with local legislators and senators to garner support, and are planning a class-action lawsuit against the projects...