Why does Afghanistan need lithium?

Afghanistan sits atop vast lithium reserves and faces a pivotal decision: leverage this mineral wealth to assert national sovereignty and drive local development or risk exploitation by foreign powers eager to dominate the global supply chain for electric vehicles (EV).

Will Beijing make a high-risk lithium play in Afghanistan?

It seems unlikely Beijing would make an aggressive, high-risk lithium play in Afghanistan when other projects in its pipeline are easier to develop and in less risky jurisdictions. Afghanistan’s significant but largely unexploited mineral reserves are valued at an estimated $1-3 trillion.

Is a lithium-ion battery race taking place in Afghanistan?

While Goldman Sachs predicts a tripling of the lithium market by 2025, a race to secure supplies is taking place in Afghanistan. The lithium-ion battery story begins with chemistry and ends with innovation.

Is there a lithium rush in Afghanistan?

Recent predictions of an alleged lithium rush in Afghanistan focus on lithium-bearing hard rock minerals mined in the eastern Afghan provinces of Nuristan and Kunar, from where also the stones seized by the Taliban in January 2023 originated. (That said, there are also reports on lithium-containing brines in other places in Afghanistan.

Will Afghanistan be the 'Saudi Arabia of lithium'?

According to the New York Times, a memo from the Pentagon predicted that Afghanistan will be the "Saudi Arabia of Lithium," a way to assert that Afghanistan is able to exceed Bolivia as the first world producer of lithium. The economic impact of this mining discovery is simply enormous: the total reserves represent about 1,000 billion.

Does Afghanistan need a lithium monopoly?

Afghanistan must limit dependence on investments driven mainly by external strategic interests. Maintaining control over its lithium reserves is equally critical, necessitating a robust national framework for extraction and processing.