Gunther Baumgarten, senior Americas analyst at Verisk Maplecroft: “The Bolivian government expects that the agreements will accelerate its lithium industrialization plan, launched in 2013. It envisioned an industry under exclusive control of sate-owned firm Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB). However, the plan has stalled due to YLB’s lack of expertise, diminished funding capacity, and to a lesser extent, local community resistance. The technical and funding difficulties have forced the government to reconsider the model and allow foreign private participation. Under the agreements with YLB, Rosatom and Citic Guoan Group will build two direct lithium extraction plants to ramp up production capacity. Indeed, these agreements follow those signed in January with two Chinese firms for similar investment at other sites. And amid mounting economic problems, ongoing enmity with the United States and the failed attempt to partner with German firms to develop its lithium industry, we expect…”