Geomechanics.io

  • Free Tools
Sign UpLog In

Geomechanics.io

Geomechanics, Streamlined.

© 2026 Geomechanics.io. All rights reserved.

Geomechanics.io

CMRR-ioGEODB-ioHYDROGEO-ioQCDB-ioFree Tools & CalculatorsBlogLatest Industry News

Industries

MiningConstructionTunnelling

Company

Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyLinkedIn
    AllGeotechnicalMiningInfrastructureMaterialsHazardsEnvironmentalSoftwarePolicy
    Projects
    Sustainability

    Mining, power and the new US Latin America strategy: project risk lens for engineers

    January 27, 2026|

    Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

    Mining, power and the new US Latin America strategy: project risk lens for engineers

    First reported on MINING.com

    30 Second Briefing

    Latin America’s mineral-rich frontiers are being recast as security zones as the US-backed shift in Venezuela and Bolivia’s November 2025 election of President Rodrigo Paz pull lithium, copper and other critical minerals into a sharper geopolitical contest. Bolivia holds an estimated 23 million tonnes of lithium resources at Uyuni, but high magnesium-to-lithium ratios (~20:1) and 300+ mile port logistics, combined with unbankable contracts and volatile fuel-price protests that killed Decree 5503 in under a month, keep project finance on hold. State miner YLB’s underperforming 2023 industrial plant and new DLE-related patent filings on 23 January 2026 signal technical ambition, yet investors still demand arbitration clauses, phased drawdowns and political risk cover before backing large-scale extraction.

    Technical Brief

    • Verisk Maplecroft flags lithium contracts as “contracted but contested”, suitable for exploration spend but not project finance.

    Our Take

    Bolivia’s 23 million tonnes of identified lithium resources and 20% global share put it in the same strategic conversation as Chile’s Salar de Atacama and Argentina’s Puna, but our coverage shows most new lithium and copper capital in Latin America is still flowing to brownfield expansions elsewhere rather than greenfield brines with complex chemistries like Uyuni.

    The 86–162% fuel price hikes under Decree 5503 materially change operating cost assumptions for lithium and other critical minerals in Bolivia and the wider Altiplano, whereas recent Chilean copper–lithium work such as the Ivanhoe Electric–SQM Atacama exploration is being framed more around technology and permitting risk than basic energy affordability.

    Across the 766 Mining stories and 1484 tag-matched pieces in our database, copper and lithium in Latin America increasingly appear in a geopolitical context, but this piece is unusual in tying US strategy directly to power pricing and transport constraints such as the 300-mile haul to port, which will be central to any competitive cost case for Uyuni-scale developments before the end of the decade.

    Geotechnical Software for Modern Teams

    Centralise site data, logs, and lab results with GEODB-io, CMRR-io, and HYDROGEO-io.

    No credit card required.

    • Save and export unlimited calculations
    • Advanced data visualisation
    • Generate professional PDF reports
    • Cloud storage for all your projects

    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

    Related Articles

    Mining
    about 12 hours ago

    Boliden Somincor–EDP–Greenvolt solar UPAC: integration notes for Neves‑Corvo mine engineers

    Boliden Somincor has partnered with EDP and Greenvolt to build Portugal’s largest self‑consumption solar generation unit (UPAC) near the Neves‑Corvo zinc mine at Castro Verde, supplying power directly to mine operations. The distributed solar plant will sit adjacent to one of Europe’s largest zinc orebodies, reducing grid dependence for high‑load processes such as hoisting, ventilation and paste backfill plants. For mine planners and electrical engineers, the project signals growing integration of large‑scale on‑site renewables into base‑metal underground operations in southern Europe.

    Mining
    about 16 hours ago

    Aramine AutoNav Tele loader at Reward Gold mine: design and safety notes for planners

    RCT – Powered by Epiroc’s AutoNav Tele automation has been fitted to an Aramine L350D loader to support narrow vein stoping at Vertex Minerals’ Reward Gold mine at Hill End, after the unit was commissioned through Epiroc’s Orange Service Centre in New South Wales. The compact L350D, designed for ultra-narrow headings, is now operated via tele-remote AutoNav control rather than line-of-sight, allowing tramming and loading in constrained drives. For geotechnical and mine planners, this enables extraction in thinner ore lenses while keeping operators out of unsupported ground.

    Mining
    about 17 hours ago

    Bosch Rexroth–MEDATech off‑highway electrification: integration notes for mine engineers

    Bosch Rexroth is partnering with MEDATech Engineering to deliver end‑to‑end electrification packages for off‑highway and mining mobile equipment, combining Rexroth’s mobile hydraulics, inverters and controls with MEDATech’s EV drivetrain integration capability. The collaboration targets full systems from componentry and software through to application‑specific design and build, aimed at OEMs and retrofit projects for haul trucks, loaders and other heavy units. For mine operators, this points to more standardised electric powertrain architectures and a clearer route to integrating high‑voltage drivetrains with existing hydraulic and control systems.

    Related Industries & Products

    Mining

    Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.

    CMRR-io

    Streamline coal mine roof stability assessments with our cloud-based CMRR software featuring automated calculations, multi-scenario analysis, and collaborative workflows.

    HYDROGEO-io

    Comprehensive hydrogeological testing platform for managing, analysing, and reporting on packer tests, lugeon values, and hydraulic conductivity assessments.

    GEODB-io

    Centralised geotechnical data management solution for storing, accessing, and analysing all your site investigation and material testing data.