The Iranian authorities have announced the discovery of a large deposit of lithium, the new “white gold”, which could make the Persian country one of the main producers of this mineral.
Iranian Industry Ministry exploration chief Ebrahimali Molabeigi has announced the discovery of a deposit containing some “8.6 million tonnes” of lithium in the northern province of Hamedan, the Mehr newspaper reported on Tuesday.
“The discovery of the first reservoir in Hamedan is promising,” the official said.
“In today’s world, this strategic and valuable resource is of great importance in advanced technologies,” he added.
Lithium is a fundamental component of electric vehicle batteries, and its consumption reached 134,000 tons in 2022, an increase of 41% compared to the previous year, driven by the growing popularity of this type of vehicle around the world. .
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports that 98 million tons of lithium have been identified worldwide, with Bolivia (21 million), Argentina (20 million) and the United States (12 million) being the countries with the greatest amount of lithium. ‘White gold’.
But the world reserves, that part that can be exploited, are reduced to 26 million tons in the world, according to the USGS, a section in which Chile stands out with 9.3 million extractable tons.
Iran could therefore become one of the main producers of this ore if the discovery of 8.6 million tons of lithium is confirmed and if all this quantity is exploitable.
Iran has large oil and gas reserves – third and fourth in the world – but US sanctions prevent it from marketing its petrochemicals in the normal way.