LA PAZ—Bolivia’s government on Wednesday declined to name which of six short-listed companies it would select to help mine its untapped lithium riches, with the chief of the country’s state-run lithium company saying more than one could be eventually selected.
The government had already postponed a final announcement on its selection last month, amid high hopes the private partners can help jumpstart lithium extraction in Bolivia’s sprawling salt flats, home to the world’s largest deposits of the white metal.
Despite decades of attempts, Bolivia has yet to achieve any commercial lithium production despite demand for the metal having surged in recent years….