, Columnist
Lithium Investors Need Not Fear a Government Takeover
A guaranteed supply is needed to meet soaring demand for EVs and the batteries that power them.
The lithium triangle.
Photographer: Aizar Raldes/AFP/Getty Images
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There’s nothing that gets private investors more alarmed than the prospect of nationalization. So it’s little wonder that mining companies are taking fright at plans announced in Chile last month to give the state more control over production of lithium, a crucial ingredient in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and power plants.
“Money is a coward — it runs away at the first sign of trouble,” Canadian mining billionaire Robert Friedland said in an interview with Bloomberg News after the plans were announced.