"Mexican lawmakers pass lithium nationalization plan", 20 April 2022

...Mexican lawmakers on Tuesday approved a plan to nationalize the exploration and mining of lithium, a vital material in the production of batteries for electric cars, cellphones and other technology.

The mining law reform submitted by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador puts the metal's exploitation in the hands of a state company, without the participation of private firms.

The plan was passed in the Senate with 87 votes in favor and 20 against, a day after it was approved by the lower house of Congress.

Both chambers are dominated by Lopez Obrador's Morena party.

Lopez Obrador told reporters that eight concessions already granted to companies for lithium exploration would be reviewed.

Previously the government has said the concessions would remain valid as long as the companies make the necessary progress towards starting production...

Lithium "will be the exclusive property of the state and for the benefit of the people. Our resources will be safe and the energy transition will be guaranteed," Lopez Obrador's spokesman Jesus Ramirez tweeted...

The power reforms had alarmed the United States and Canada, prompting warnings that Mexico was in danger of violating its trade commitments by favoring state-run entities heavily dependent on fossil fuels...