Bolivia: What’s with the proposed nuclear plant?

The Bolivian government has authorized the construction of a nuclear power plant and research center near La Paz. The mayor of La Paz is requesting more information on the project from the Hydrocarbon and Energy Ministry.

The project will cost an estimated US$1.75 billion and would take 10 years to complete.

Only three countries in Latin America – Brazil, Argentina and Mexico – have operating nuclear power stations.

It’s a curious project to have in a country with one of the second-largest natural gas reserves in South America (second only to Venezuela).

However, following last year’s visit to Iran, Evo Morales declared that Iran was to help it build a nuclear power plant, for peaceful purposes of course.

Bolivia is one of Iran’s hubs for its expansion into our hemisphere, and it has become one of Iran’s most important strategic partners in Latin America, and vice versa.

According to this report,

Bolivia is one of Latin America’s most resource-rich countries, and possesses some of the world’s largest reserves of lithium chloride. Knowing this, Iran made a move to become Bolivia’s co-developer of this resource, to include the production of lithium batteries. This resource exploitation project, in turn, has prompted speculation that other strategic minerals, namely uranium, would be exploited. To date, however, there is no evidence that Iran has effectively received any uranium ore from Bolivia.

In addition to natural gas, half the world’s reserves of lithium are buried in the Salar de Uyuni salt plain. That alone makes it strategically important.