Thailand discovers nearly 15 million tonnes of lithium

According to a government official on Friday, Thailand has found over 15 million tonnes of lithium resources, which is good news for the country’s ambition to become a regional centre for the manufacture of electric vehicles. After Bolivia and Argentina, Thailand now boasts the third-largest lithium reserves, however it’s unclear how much of these can be used for commercial purposes. According to government deputy spokesperson Rudklao Intawong Suwankiri, the 14.8 million tonnes of lithium are split between two different locations in the southern province of Phang Nga, The Nation television station said. “We are trying to find out how much can we use from the resources we found. It takes time,” Rudklao told The Nation. An essential ingredient in the production of batteries for smartphones and other devices, as well as electric vehicles, is lithium. Building on the kingdom’s history of producing conventional automobiles, the administration of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who assumed office in August, has made it a goal to strive to strengthen Thailand as a regional production base for electric vehicles. Srettha pressed the deputy chairman of Bosch, one of the industry’s top brass, to invest in electric vehicle manufacture in Thailand during their meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “It’s good news. It’s an opportunity for Thailand to become self-reliant in the production of EV batteries,” Rudklao said of the lithium discovery. In December 2023, two Chinese EV giants said they would invest 2.3 billion baht ($64 million) to develop Thailand as a production hub.