Austin-Based Startup EnergyX Out of Bolivian Lithium Race Over Technicality

Russia, China, and Gates-Backed Lilac Solutions remain in the running

Evaporation pools for the extraction of lithium are seen at the Salar de Uyuni, a vast white salt flat at the center of a global resource race for the battery metal lithium, outside of Uyuni, Bolivia, on March 26, 2022. Claudia Morales/Reuters

American startup EnergyX and Argentine energy firm Tecpetrol have been disqualified from a race to mine Bolivian lithium, the government said, as the country aims to tap its vast resources in partnership with one or more foreign companies.

Bolivia has the world’s largest lithium resources but it has struggled for decades to mine them commercially, amping up its efforts last year amid a surge in demand for batteries for electric vehicles.