Snapshot: On 12 May 2025, the Central Única Provincial de Comunidades Originarias de Nor Lípez, which brings together 53 Indigenous communities of Potosí, in southwestern Bolivia, filed a popular action against state-owned company Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB), the Ministry of Energy and the Chamber of Deputies challenging the contracts to build lithium plants at the Uyuni salt flat signed with Uranium One Group (a subsidiary of state-owned Rosatom) and with Chinese consortium Hong Kong CBC Investment. The case is ongoing.

In September 2024, the Bolivian state-owned company Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) signed an agreement with Russian company Uranium One Group (a subsidiary of state-owned Rosatom) to build a lithium plant at the Uyuni salt flat, located in the Potosí region in southwestern Bolivia. In November 2024, YLB signed an agreement with Chinese consortium Hong Kong CBC Investment to build two lithium plants at the same salt flat. The country’s national legislature, the Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional, began proceedings for legislative approval of these contracts, amid demands from civil society for a more participatory process.

On 12 May 2025, the Central Única Provincial de Comunidades Originarias de Nor Lípez (CUPCONL), which brings together 53 Indigenous communities of Potosí, filed a popular action (acción popular) against YLB, the Ministry of Energy, and the Chamber of Deputies of the national legislature challenging the contracts (read the lawsuit). The claimants argue that the signature and approval of these contracts require consultation with the communities living around the salt flat, as well as safeguards for their environmental rights and their access to water, which is required for agriculture and livestock farming. On 27 May, the court ordered the suspension of the legislative approval proceedings but, on 6 June, it dismissed the case and the suspension was lifted. The court considered that, since the contracts were not yet in force, they did not breach the claimants’ collective rights. The court referred its decision to the Constitutional Court and the lawsuit is ongoing.

On 18 July 2025, Bolivia’s Ombudsman's Office (Defensoría del Pueblo) filed a separate request for precautionary measures before the Agro-Environmental court of La Paz, requesting the suspension of the legislative approval of the contracts until appropriate technical studies had been carried out and surrounding communities had been consulted. On 14 August 2025, the court suspended the legislative proceedings until proper impact assessments had been carried out, including assessments of water access and environmental, social, cultural, and economic effects, and proper consultation had taken place with Indigenous communities in Nor Lípez and the southwest of Potosí (read the ruling). On 30 October 2025, the Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional took note of the ruling and suspended the approval proceedings.

On 8 November 2025, following the general elections in Bolivia, a new President took office, vowing to restore relationships with the United States and to reevaluate the contracts with the Russian and Chinese companies. In January 2026, the government announced a new law on lithium to establish rules on the exploitation of lithium, leaving the future of these contracts uncertain.