Photo: INPE
There’s no bright perspective about what is happening in Afghanistan. While people point fingers about who should have done what, many are dying. Women and children are particularly terrified of the future there. The latest tale that emerged said that the Taliban would make money selling lithium for electric cars as if Afghanistan was the main source for that mineral, but Simon Moores decided to share his point of view about that. The managing director of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence was straightforward: that “is just incorrect.”
Moores has a good point to defend that. He shared on Twitter that he almost traveled to Afghanistan in 2010 but that the company he worked for “blocked the trip on travel insurance grounds.” Despite that, he knows that most of the lithium brine reserves are “in the country’s west – Herat and Ghazni provinces.” When it comes to “lithium hard rock potential,” its primary source would be “in the Hindu Kush mountain range.”
However, there are no reasonable drilling programs there. Afghanistan also does not have “43101s” (NI 43-101 Technical Reports). The goal of these reports is “to provide a summary of material scientific and technical information concerning mineral exploration, development, and production activities." In other words, there’s “no detailed exploration.”
Moores stated that “Afghanistan is a big country that has not been properly explored for its minerals.” He also said that “the potential is interesting but super long term if ever.” For a country to make something out of its natural resources, it has to be minimally stable. Venezuela has plenty of oil, but it cannot sell it because of Nicolas Maduro’s dictatorship.
As Moores stated, lithium is not rare, which means electric cars can obtain it from multiple other sources. According to the executive, Afghanistan also has “copper, iron ore, and a handful of niche minerals like niobium.” If anyone ever decides to do business with an Afghanisthan ruled by the Taliban, a lot will have to change. Not frightening its fellow citizens so that they have to run for their lives would be a good start.
However, there are no reasonable drilling programs there. Afghanistan also does not have “43101s” (NI 43-101 Technical Reports). The goal of these reports is “to provide a summary of material scientific and technical information concerning mineral exploration, development, and production activities." In other words, there’s “no detailed exploration.”
Moores stated that “Afghanistan is a big country that has not been properly explored for its minerals.” He also said that “the potential is interesting but super long term if ever.” For a country to make something out of its natural resources, it has to be minimally stable. Venezuela has plenty of oil, but it cannot sell it because of Nicolas Maduro’s dictatorship.
As Moores stated, lithium is not rare, which means electric cars can obtain it from multiple other sources. According to the executive, Afghanistan also has “copper, iron ore, and a handful of niche minerals like niobium.” If anyone ever decides to do business with an Afghanisthan ruled by the Taliban, a lot will have to change. Not frightening its fellow citizens so that they have to run for their lives would be a good start.
To suggest Afghanistan’s lithium is a pot of gold for the Taliban, China or anyone else is just incorrect.
— Simon Moores (@sdmoores) August 19, 2021
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