{"id":2979,"date":"2021-12-22T17:46:50","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T17:46:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/energiesnet.com\/espanol\/?p=2979"},"modified":"2021-12-22T17:47:00","modified_gmt":"2021-12-22T17:47:00","slug":"green-energy-race-draws-an-american-underdog-to-bolivias-lithium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/energiesnet.com\/espanol\/green-energy-race-draws-an-american-underdog-to-bolivias-lithium\/","title":{"rendered":"Green-energy race draws an American underdog to Bolivia\u2019s lithium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"700\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/energiesnet.com\/espanol\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/lithium_pond_bolivia_700.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2982\" srcset=\"https:\/\/energiesnet.com\/espanol\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/lithium_pond_bolivia_700.jpg 700w, https:\/\/energiesnet.com\/espanol\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/lithium_pond_bolivia_700-300x171.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><figcaption>Evaporation ponds run by the state lithium company at a vast area of salt flats in Bolivia. <br>An American entrepreneur says he has a better way to extract lithium there.<br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Chinese and Russian industrial giants seek to tap mineral deposits vital to electric cars. <br>A Texas entrepreneur has his own strategy: the long game.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/clifford-krauss\">Clifford Krauss<\/a>\/NYT<br><br>SALAR DE UYUNI, Bolivia\u00a0<br>EnergiesNet.com 12 22 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mission was quixotic for a small Texas energy start-up: Beat out Chinese and Russian industrial giants in unlocking mineral riches that could one day power tens of millions of electric vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A team traveled from Austin to Bolivia in late August to meet with local and national leaders at a government lithium complex and convince them that the company, EnergyX, had a technology that would fulfill Bolivia\u2019s potential to be a global green-energy power. On arriving, they found that the conference they had planned to attend was canceled and that security guards blocked the location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, the real attraction was in plain sight: a giant chalky sea of brine high in the Andes called the Salar de Uyuni, which is rich in lithium, among several minerals with growing value worldwide because they are needed in batteries used in electric cars and on the power grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Surrounded by rusty equipment, empty production ponds and pumps uncoupled from pipes, it seemed a forlorn spot. But to Teague Egan, EnergyX\u2019s chief executive, it had nothing but promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is the new Saudi Arabia,\u201d he promised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Indigenous Quechua people revere the Salar de Uyuni, 4,000 square miles of salt flats that their forebears believed were the mixture of a goddess\u2019s breast milk and the salty tears of her baby. For Mr. Egan, the site is \u201cpure white beauty as far as the eye can see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With a quarter of the world\u2019s known lithium, this nation of 12 million people potentially finds itself among the newly anointed winners in the global hunt for the raw materials needed to move the world away from oil, natural gas and coal in the fight against climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eight foreign companies have been competing in recent months to establish pilot lithium projects here, including four from China and one from Russia, countries that have had friendlier relations with Bolivia\u2019s government than the United States has.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just as wildcatters have long sought riches prospecting for oil, the clean energy revolution is spawning a wave of gritty entrepreneurs who hope to ride a new boom, vaulting themselves into the intersection of geopolitics and climate change. Some are familiar names like Elon Musk at Tesla, while Mr. Egan and others are strivers looking for their first break in mineral-rich places like Bolivia, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/11\/20\/world\/china-congo-cobalt.html\">Democratic Republic of Congo<\/a>&nbsp;and the South Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr. Egan is among the determined underdogs. His company, with 30 employees, is one of two from the United States among the eight contenders to develop Bolivia\u2019s lithium reserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lithium is a basic component of lithium-ion batteries, enabling the flow of electrical currents. Because of the metal\u2019s light weight, long life, large storage capacity and easy recharging, demand is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade to power an expanding fleet of vehicles produced by Tesla, Ford Motor, General Motors and other carmakers and spread power grid battery storage for renewable energy. This year alone, prices for lithium compounds are up over 200 percent on several global markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr. Egan, 33, had never worked in the energy industry before starting EnergyX in 2018 to pursue lithium projects. With his hair slicked back, frequently unshaven and wearing his baseball cap backward, he projects youthful exuberance and self-confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He established a book club at his company and assigned a biography of Thomas Edison as the first offering to send a message to his colleagues: \u201cYou can try 100 times and give up. Edison tried 17,000 plants to produce domestic rubber.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/10\/08\/business\/00bolivia-lithium03-copy\/merlin_195784989_d8ca286e-04d4-4fca-b1e5-8123aa4eb23c-superJumbo.jpg\" alt=\"photo\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/10\/08\/business\/00bolivia-lithium04-copy\/merlin_195785544_f406b9ea-b955-4fff-95e1-0f58fffdcc45-superJumbo.jpg\" alt=\"photo\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/10\/08\/business\/00bolivia-lithium05alt-copy\/merlin_195787479_67c8ce12-3ff7-478e-895b-e6b0fea20afa-superJumbo.jpg\" alt=\"photo\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"scrolly-0\">Despite the bravado, he would appear to be an unlikely character to drive Bolivia\u2019s energy future. He has never worked in Latin America and speaks virtually no Spanish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"scrolly-1\">But for Mr. Egan, the only thing that is really important is his belief that his technology to coax the lithium out of the Andean brine is the best to finally make Bolivia an energy power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"scrolly-2\">\u201cIn Bolivia they are so sensitive about the politics,\u201d he said. \u201cI just don\u2019t understand why they should not do what is in the best interest of the country. I can only control what I can control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Race to the Future<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Players in the clean energy revolution are increasingly caught in a cycle of exploitation and greed over resources. At the center of it is the quest&nbsp;for a prized metal: cobalt, a key ingredient in electric cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Global Rivalries:<\/strong>&nbsp;The competition for cobalt has set off&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/11\/20\/world\/china-congo-cobalt.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-race-future&amp;variant=1_show&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&amp;context=STYLN_TOP_LINKS_recirc\">a power struggle<\/a>&nbsp;between China and the United States in Congo.<\/li><li><strong>Corporate Champion:&nbsp;<\/strong>With the blessing of Beijing, a Chinese company became&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/12\/22\/business\/china-catl-electric-car-batteries.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-race-future&amp;variant=1_show&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&amp;context=STYLN_TOP_LINKS_recirc\">among the biggest suppliers of electric car batteries in the world.<\/a><\/li><li><strong>How the U.S. Lost Ground:<\/strong>&nbsp;Americans failed to safeguard decades of investments in Congo,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/11\/21\/world\/usa-congo-cobalt.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-race-future&amp;variant=1_show&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&amp;context=STYLN_TOP_LINKS_recirc\">essentially surrendering resources to China<\/a>.<\/li><li><strong>\u2018Blood Diamond of Batteries\u2019:&nbsp;<\/strong>A bid to reform Congo\u2019s cobalt mining, key to a push for clean energy,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/11\/29\/world\/congo-cobalt-albert-yuma-mulimbi.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-race-future&amp;variant=1_show&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&amp;context=STYLN_TOP_LINKS_recirc\">is rife with intrigue<\/a>.<\/li><li><strong>Emporium of Ambition:<\/strong>&nbsp;Everyone passing through the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/12\/07\/world\/congo-cobalt-investor-fleuve-hotel.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-race-future&amp;variant=1_show&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&amp;context=STYLN_TOP_LINKS_recirc\">Fleuve Congo Hotel in Kinshasa<\/a>&nbsp;seems determined to grab a piece of the nation\u2019s wealth.<\/li><li><strong>Hunter Biden\u2019s Business Ties:&nbsp;<\/strong>A firm co-founded&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/11\/20\/world\/hunter-biden-china-cobalt.html?action=click&amp;pgtype=Article&amp;state=default&amp;module=styln-race-future&amp;variant=1_show&amp;region=MAIN_CONTENT_1&amp;context=STYLN_TOP_LINKS_recirc\">by the president\u2019s son<\/a>&nbsp;facilitated the sale of a cobalt mine&nbsp;in Congo to a Chinese company.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"link-e58771d\">\u2018The Lithium Is for Bolivians\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is much that Mr. Egan cannot control in this country long riddled with coups and racial, ideological and regional divisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bolivia\u2019s governing party, the Movement for Socialism, is led by former President Evo Morales, who tried to draw the country closer to China before protests and the military forced him from power two years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The current president, Luis Arce, who was Mr. Morales\u2019s economy minister, heads a coalition of social democrats and more doctrinaire leftists. He faces challenges from local movements that object to the socialist government and are wary of foreign interests, seeing them as exploiters of Bolivia\u2019s mineral wealth going back to the 17th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Only two years ago, a lithium deal between Mr. Morales and a German company led to protests that eventually spread around the country. Mr. Morales was forced to scrap a contract only a week before he fled the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marco Pumari, a local politician who led the protests, demanded a tripling of royalties for Potos\u00ed<strong><em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong>Province and local involvement in ownership of lithium enterprises. He said that his demands had not changed, and that his opposition to the ruling socialists remained steadfast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAs soon as they publicly choose the foreign companies, the province will mobilize,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cThe government is playing with fire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In August, about 80 protesters took over two roads, blocking Mr. Arce from visiting government lithium facilities and demanding that he fire the new head of the state-owned lithium company and give local residents greater say in decisions about lithium production. The protest forced the cancellation of the conference that Mr. Egan and his EnergyX team were scheduled to attend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe need asphalt roads and textile factories,\u201d said Rosa Belen Julaca, a Potos\u00ed<strong><em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong>quinoa farmer who joined the protest even though she generally supports the government. \u201cIf they don\u2019t listen to us, we\u2019ll keep blocking the roads.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Government officials soon visited to calm tensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/10\/08\/business\/00bolivia-lithium14\/merlin_195789963_b24fea0c-a5af-4fcd-9f97-804c47a822eb-superJumbo.jpg\" alt=\"photo\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/10\/08\/business\/00bolivia-lithium15\/merlin_195790971_a84ce3c7-f644-49d2-ba85-c1627a0dded7-superJumbo.jpg\" alt=\"photo\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/12\/04\/business\/00bolivia-lithium16\/merlin_195791451_40c4fdb4-3bc9-461c-b643-e17f5a3339d5-superJumbo.jpg\" alt=\"photo\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"scrolly-0\">Women poured colorful confetti on the heads of officials and draped their necks in wreaths of flowers. The visitors included Franklin Molina, the energy minister, and the head of the state lithium company, whom the protesters had wanted ousted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"scrolly-1\">At a festive community meeting punctuated by Indigenous music, dance and poetry, they promised jobs and social programs from a lithium industry that would someday include manufacturing batteries and even electric cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"scrolly-2\">\u201cThe lithium is for Bolivians,\u201d Mr. Molina declared to cheers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Energy experts say a major increase in Bolivian lithium production would keep battery prices down, helping President Biden achieve his goal of electrifying half of new cars sold in the United States in 2030, up from 4 percent today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ADVERTISEMENT<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/12\/16\/business\/energy-environment\/bolivia-lithium-electric-cars.html?searchResultPosition=5#after-story-ad-4\">Continue reading the main story<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe amount of lithium we need in any of our climate goals is incredible,\u201d said Anna Shpitsberg, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for energy transformation. \u201cEveryone is trying to build up their supply chains and think about how to be strategic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Washington has little sway in Bolivia, whose leaders have long disagreed with the American approach to drug policy and Venezuela. That may explain why some energy executives do not think Bolivia is worth the risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou\u2019ve had 30 years\u2019 worth of projects in Bolivia with almost nothing to show,\u201d said Robert Mintak, chief executive of Standard Lithium, a publicly traded mining company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, referring to lithium development efforts dating back to 1990. \u201cYou have a landlocked country with no infrastructure, no work force, political risk, no intellectual property protection. So as a developer, I would choose someplace else that is safer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr. Egan sees the odds differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"link-23595725\">\u2018I Need to Be Involved\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That Mr. Egan has gotten this far is a marvel. He learned about Bolivian lithium only by chance when he and a friend crisscrossed South America as tourists in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When they got to the salt flats, a guide explained that they were standing on the world\u2019s largest lithium reserve. \u201cI thought, \u2018I don\u2019t know how I\u2019m going to do this, but I need to be involved,\u2019\u201d Mr. Egan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He had tried his hand as a sports and music agent and ran a small investment fund at the time. He had invested in Tesla in 2013 at $9 a share; it now trades around $975. (He would not reveal how many shares he had bought and how many he still had.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But he felt that he wasn\u2019t achieving much. Before Mr. Egan traveled to South America, his father, Michael, the founder of Alamo Rent A Car, advised him to make two lists \u2014 of his five biggest passions and of the five industries he thought would grow fastest in the coming decades. Renewable energy was on both lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr. Egan read up on lithium. He settled on filtering membranes as the vital missing link to make lithium evaporation ponds more productive and profitable. Then he came across a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.aaq0066\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2018 paper<\/a>&nbsp;written by Benny Freeman, a chemical engineering professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and some scientists working in Australia about a new type of membrane with atom-size pores that could be used to separate and purify lithium salts from rocks and brines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He traveled to Austin and Australia, and Mr. Egan and Dr. Freeman hit it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/12\/04\/business\/00bolivia-lithium12\/merlin_195787557_da80137e-6fe8-4bb5-8982-07d20eda0d81-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" alt=\"Teague Egan at the Salar de Uyuni, which he called &ldquo;the new Saudi Arabia.&rdquo;\" width=\"1208\" height=\"806\"\/><figcaption>Teague Egan at the Salar de Uyuni, which he called \u201cthe new Saudi Arabia.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two made an unlikely pair. Dr. Freeman, 60, was born into poverty in rural North Carolina and was the first person in his family to graduate from high school. Mr. Egan grew up wealthy in southern Florida. Dr. Freeman became passionate about chemistry handling pesticides on his family\u2019s apple farm. Mr. Egan said he had learned business skills from his father at the dinner table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr. Egan returned again and again to Bolivia, but he made little progress selling officials on his technology. \u201cAll these people, their hands are just tied behind their backs,\u201d he said, since they are scared to offend leaders at the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A big break came in April 2020 when Diego von Vacano, a Bolivian political science professor at Texas A&amp;M University \u2014 and an informal adviser to Mr. Arce, then a leading presidential candidate \u2014 contacted Dr. Freeman for advice on lithium extraction. Dr. Freeman connected Dr. von Vacano and Mr. Egan, and the Texas A&amp;M professor became Mr. Egan\u2019s vital bridge to Bolivia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Mr. Arce won, Mr. Egan attended the inauguration. With Dr. von Vacano\u2019s help, Mr. Egan made critical connections in the new administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He was not able, though, to secure a meeting with the new president. During one trip, he tracked down Mr. Arce when they were both in Santa Cruz. Accompanied by Dr. von Vacano, Mr. Egan finally got a glimpse of the president eating in the canvas-covered wooden stalls of a fish market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But as he approached the leader, Dr. von Vacano stopped him. Mr. Arce was eating with a congressman antagonistic toward the United States. Avoiding a scene, Mr. Egan walked away. He returned home, but he was not done trying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"link-f727d3c\">A Visit and a Blessing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/10\/08\/business\/00bolivia-lithium06\/merlin_195787764_12cb9c5b-94fb-426d-9aa6-76b7d2f51f8d-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" alt=\"Mr. Egan discussing strategy with his team after learning that the conference they flew to Bolivia to attend had been canceled.\" width=\"1201\" height=\"801\"\/><figcaption>Mr. Egan discussing strategy with his team after learning that the conference they flew to Bolivia to attend had been canceled.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In August, after the conference was canceled, Mr. Egan and his team flew to La Paz, the seat of government, and kept knocking on doors, hoping to capitalize on the contacts that Mr. Egan had made among top Energy Ministry officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As always, there were hurdles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When they met with Carlos Humberto Ramos, the newly appointed head of the state lithium company, to persuade him of the advantages of their approach, they found that he had little understanding of EnergyX\u2019s membrane technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr. Egan\u2019s team returned to Mr. Ramos the next day, and after explaining its technology to his top technicians, the team was told that it could visit the lithium complex and that an initial agreement approving EnergyX\u2019s project was virtually a done deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That night, EnergyX\u2019s strongest ally in the government \u2014 \u00c1lvaro<strong><em>&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong>Arnez, a deputy energy minister overseeing lithium development \u2014 gave the arrangement his blessing. He joined Mr. Egan\u2019s team for a celebration at an elegant La Paz restaurant over plates of dried Amazonian catfish and roast pork with pear kimchi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/10\/11\/business\/00bolivia-lithium10sub\/merlin_195785562_612d011b-7b98-4906-99fb-953b0bc41968-superJumbo.jpg\" alt=\"photo\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/12\/04\/business\/00bolivia-lithium08\/merlin_195785682_c32e96c8-918f-4a1b-85c5-c1bc12482bd1-superJumbo.jpg\" alt=\"photo\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/12\/04\/business\/00bolivia-lithium11\/merlin_195785607_35aaaa1d-dd62-4b4f-a2be-790063e07e31-superJumbo.jpg\" alt=\"photo\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/10\/08\/business\/00bolivia-lithium09alt\/merlin_195787155_67066640-27c9-4023-b640-bcc2bba3db3f-superJumbo.jpg\" alt=\"photo\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"scrolly-0\">The next morning, Mr. Egan and his team flew back to the salt flats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"scrolly-1\">They inspected several shimmering man-made ponds, which hold brine for evaporation \u2014 a method of lithium extraction that has been hampered by heavy seasonal rains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"scrolly-2\">Even when dry, the lithium must be separated chemically from other minerals, a process that wastes much of the desired lithium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"scrolly-3\">Mr. Egan told technicians that his technology could greatly increase and speed up production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There were disagreements over where to put the proposed pilot project, and when Mr. Egan suggested ways to move forward toward commercialization, the technicians told him to wait until initial test results were in. But he was content that he toured the facilities before other companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In an interview, Mr. Molina, the energy minister, said Chinese and Russian diplomats were lobbying on behalf of their own companies, but he insisted that \u201cthere is room for Americans, Russians, Chinese, Japanese, whoever wants to invest as long as they respect our sovereignty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">China has advantages. It already controls substantial lithium assets in South America, and its businesses have made roughly $4.5 billion in lithium investments over the last three years in South America and Mexico. Chinese banks give low-interest loans to Chinese mining and construction companies operating abroad to advance President Xi Jinping\u2019s plans to dominate industries of the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for Russia, President Vladimir V. Putin has spoken by phone with Mr. Arce at least twice about lithium and other matters, Russian officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mr. Egan said he was getting virtually no help from the U.S. government. And American officials say their best hope is to gently press for a level playing field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The long game has paid off for Mr. Egan, at least so far. He signed an agreement to start the pilot, and in October he shipped a container to Bolivia outfitted with pumps, valves, tanks and membranes to separate lithium from brine. If the pilot shows promising results, he may be able to proceed with a commercial project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of the 20 companies in competition at the start of the year, the government has named eight to carry out pilots, including one other small American company, Lilac Solutions of California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All the contenders \u2014 the eighth is from Argentina \u2014 will be competing for Bolivian government attention and resources like power hookups and skilled local technicians in the months ahead before any can be approved to move toward commercial operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe still need to do a demonstration and scale it up,\u201d Mr. Egan acknowledged. \u201cWe still need to go commercial. I mean, this is just Day 1.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/\">By\u00a0<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/julie-turkewitz\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/clifford-krauss\">Clifford Krauss<\/a> from <\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nyt.com\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"http:\/\/www.nyt.com\"> The New York Times-NYT<br><br>nyt.com<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.petroleumworld.com\/%20\">\u00a012 16 2021<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chinese and Russian industrial giants seek to tap mineral deposits vital to electric cars. A Texas entrepreneur has his own strategy: the long game. By\u00a0Clifford Krauss\/NYT SALAR DE UYUNI, Bolivia\u00a0EnergiesNet.com 12 22 2021 The mission was quixotic for a small Texas energy start-up: Beat out Chinese and Russian industrial giants in unlocking mineral riches that &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/energiesnet.com\/espanol\/green-energy-race-draws-an-american-underdog-to-bolivias-lithium\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Green-energy race draws an American underdog to Bolivia\u2019s lithium<\/span> Leer m\u00e1s &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-noticias-diarias"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 4.9.9 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Chinese and Russian industrial giants seek to tap mineral deposits vital to electric cars. A Texas entrepreneur has his own strategy: the long game. 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A Texas entrepreneur has his own strategy: the long game. 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A Texas entrepreneur has his own strategy: the long game. By Clifford Krauss\/NYTSALAR DE UYUNI, Bolivia EnergiesNet.com 12 22 2021 The mission was quixotic for a small Texas energy start-up: Beat out Chinese and Russian industrial giants in unlocking mineral riches that could","og:url":"https:\/\/energiesnet.com\/espanol\/green-energy-race-draws-an-american-underdog-to-bolivias-lithium\/","og:image":"https:\/\/energiesnet.com\/espanol","og:image:secure_url":"https:\/\/energiesnet.com\/espanol","article:published_time":"2021-12-22T17:46:50+00:00","article:modified_time":"2021-12-22T17:47:00+00:00","article:publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/\/EnergiesNet","twitter:card":"summary_large_image","twitter:site":"@EnergiesNet1","twitter:title":"Green-energy race draws an American underdog to Bolivia\u2019s lithium - EnergiestNet","twitter:description":"Chinese and Russian industrial giants seek to tap mineral deposits vital to electric cars. 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