Energy Exploration Technologies (EnergyX) announced it will support the communities living near the Bolivian lithium salt flats of Uyuni via a multi-year pledge to help fund heath screenings and elementary school developments in the region.
The Texas-based energy technology company’s move to support the communities around Uyuni comes as part of its commitment to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and its ESG policy.
EnergyX specializes in lithium extraction and next-gen battery technology and has filed over 50 patents related to improving the lithium supply chain from brine to battery since its creation in 2018.
Related: MOBI Latam, EnergyX aim to create Bolivian domestic lithium battery supply chain
The company said it will provide local Bolivian communities with $100,000 as part of their Social Corporate Environmental Pledge. The first projects will be based within the Department of Potosi, and the Municipality of Uyuni, the towns closest to lithium reserves.
An initial program launched as of the signing will focus on strengthening the visual health of students in the region Potosi by providing free consultations and glasses. Over 68,000 children between the ages of 5 and 18 will be eligible for this project. A portion of funding will go to build 6 schools, enabling high school students to learn lithium related chemistry and engineering, EnergyX said. Its first LiTAS pilot plant was commissioned in the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia — the worlds largest lithium reserve — in early 2022.
“The funding provided will go towards 6 schools in Uyuni and benefit 1,132 students. This is an investment into our future,” Eusebio Lopez, the Mayor of Uyuni, said in a press release.
“We understand the importance that lithium has on the global markets, but what is more important for us is that our families, our community, and those at other salars, are not left by the wayside. The communities around the salars must benefit from the extractions that take place, and the environment cannot be left in an unusable state.”
