Alfonso Durazo, former Secretary of Security of Mexico and current Governor of Sonora, will be in charge of the State’s lithium exploitation and production company, according to the official in a brief publication on his social networks. After his meeting with Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at the National Palace on Tuesday, Durazo offered some details of the new federal government operation.
“The State Government will have a stake in the Lithium Mexico company, which will be installed in Sonora, which will represent a great opportunity for economic development and benefit for Sonorans,” Durazo said on Twitter, in a publication accompanied by a photo in which he poses with Lopez Obrador. “He gave me the responsibility of coordinating the efforts to give continuity to this project, which we will be informing you of,” he added.
For its part, the Government has not issued more details of the appointment, so it is not known with certainty if Durazo will be officially appointed general director of the new state company and if this will be on a par with his position as governor of the northern state. where the largest lithium reserve in Mexico is located. A week ago, on August 23, a decree was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) creating the new company, which, according to the DOF, is called Lithium for Mexico.
Considered a staunch ally of the president, Durazo was head of the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection when Lopez Obrador became president in December 2018 and resigned in October 2020 to start an electoral campaign for the governorship of Sonora with the party of the president, Brunette. Previously, he worked as a spokesman and private secretary for former President Vicente Fox during his administration (2000-2006).
The mineral has become one of the most highly valued resources in the world, as its electrically conductive properties make it essential in the use of batteries, which are expected to replace fossil fuels. Mexico ranks ninth in the world among the countries with the largest lithium reserves with 1.7 million tons, according to the US Geological Survey. However, lithium has not been exploited in Mexico.
Advised by the former president of Bolivia Evo Morales, Lopez Obrador announced in 2021 that the exploitation of the mineral would be in charge of the State. In June, the president announced that he would “respect” the permit granted to the Chinese company Ganfeng Lithium, a partner of the English company Bacanora Lithium, to exploit the resource at the mine in Sonora.
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Source: EL PAIS
