“It is being reviewed, because the mining concessions were basically granted for the exploitation of gold, silver, copper, not lithium; so, that is why the lithium nationalization decree was issued,” López Obrador told reporters.
Last year, the Government enacted a nationalization lithium radical approved in the pro-government majority congress, to ensure that the country benefits from the growing demand for the ultralight metal, coveted by rechargeable battery manufacturers around the world.
On Wednesday, the president of the national mining chamber (Camimex), Jaime Gutiérrez, said that Mexico could not cancel Ganfeng’s concessions, because the law is not retroactive and the permits were granted to the Chinese company before the legal changes.
“We are reviewing that legally, but we have made the decision that lithium belongs to the nation, because it is a strategic mineral and we are going to legally follow up on the decree,” added the president, known by the acronym AMLO.