Despite its strategic potential, Mexico is falling behind in lithium exploitation due to regulatory restrictions and lack of exploration investment. The state-owned company LitioMx faces budget limitations that hinder significant progress in a booming market. Experts warn that the country could be left out of the global energy transition.
Mexico holds promising lithium reserves, but their development is hindered by political narratives and limited production. The state-owned Litio para México company, created in 2022 after declaring the mineral strategic and reserved for the state, lacks adequate budget and technical capabilities to compete globally. Projections indicate that global lithium demand will increase by 500 percent by 2030, driven by the energy transition and electromobility, exceeding 3 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE).
In 2024, demand already surpassed 1 million tons LCE, and for 2025 it is expected to reach 1.22 million, with year-over-year growth over 20 percent. However, investment in mining exploration in Mexico fell to 437.76 million dollars, the lowest level in decades. For 2026, LitioMx will receive only 13.9 million pesos, a 7.7 percent increase from the 12.9 million in 2025, insufficient to cover more than operating expenses.
Rubén del Pozo, president of the Association of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists and Geologists of Mexico (AIMMGM), emphasizes the process's complexity: “The lithium is not just there to pick it up, lift it, and sell it to generate profits. First, you need to know where it is, how much there is, and in what conditions it is found. That takes time, money, and technology”.
Moreover, contradictory regulations worsen the outlook. While the government promotes lithium as key to development, it bans open-pit mining, the essential method for extracting it from known deposits. Del Pozo criticizes this inconsistency: “On one hand, lithium is promoted as a mineral that will supposedly lift the country out of poverty, and on the other, the necessary method to extract it is prohibited. That reflects technical ignorance”.
Armando Alatorre, vice president of the College of Mining Engineers, Metallurgists and Geologists of Mexico (CIMMGM), notes that while Mexico debates state control, the global automotive industry signs supply contracts in other countries like Chile and Australia, leaders in the sector. This leaves Mexico out of investments in batteries and electric vehicles.
