All experts agree that Jujuy, Argentina, has one of the world's largest lithium reserves.
This mineral, little known to the public, has among its characteristics the great capacity to store energy.
It is increasingly sought after by technology companies, knowing that it is the essential raw material that will guarantee their hegemony in international markets.
To a great extent, this mineral, which our country was fortunate enough to find in its lands, will be crucial in advancing a process of energy independence in the medium and long term.
It is the tool that makes it possible to contain the energy generated by wind and photovoltaic systems, during the hours when the sun or wind diminished.
It also lays the foundation for one day developing a fleet of electric vehicles, as is already happening in Europe and the United States.
That's why Miguel Ángel Bravo , head of Bravo Motor Company, warns about the policies being implemented in this area: " Companies come only for the natural resources, and for the government, success lies solely in the mining industry ."
In his opinion, the pattern of " primarization and concentration for the generation of industrial value abroad" is repeated.
Days ago, the National Secretary of Mining, Jorge Mayoral, met with the Japanese ambassador to Argentina, Nasashi Mizukami , who was enthusiastic about the upcoming inauguration of the Caucharí Olaroz lithium project, in which Toyota is involved, located at 4,544 meters above sea level in the Jujuy highlands, specifically in the Olaroz Salt Flat, Susques department.
Also announced were projects from Posco, the third largest steel company in South Korea: it will invest more than $230 million in the development of the Salar de Cauchari lithium project in the province of Jujuy, where it projects a production level of 80,000 tons per year by 2020.
The company plans to put the project into operation by the end of 2015 or the beginning of 2016, with an initial production of 20,000 tons, aiming to increase it to 80,000 tons by 2020.
It is because of the importance of adding value to this resource and achieving an independent, developed and autonomous energy model from the central countries that Bravo questions the way in which lithium extraction is being approached.
In fact, Bravo Motor Company previously presented a project related to the manufacture of large batteries.
Argentina does not currently have the technology to do so.
There are research initiatives related to lithium, such as those being carried out by Y-TEC, the technological arm of YPF.
"I absolutely support research to try to obtain basic technologies related to the industrialization of lithium, but I understand imperatively that it is necessary to initially install the state of the art, now, and start," Bravo argues.
And the idea continues: " I'll give you an analogous example: if Perón had not made the decision to bring German nuclear technology to the country, we would not have the advances we have in this area today."
The same applies to lithium: while we generate knowledge, we urgently need to have battery factories operating here, the entrepreneur insists.
Bravo indicates that " the kilowatt/hour costs between 500 and 600 dollars internationally and today here we are paying 900 dollars.
And if we manufacture it today, we could have it at $400 per kWh and even lower it to $300 after 24 or 36 months.
In summary, Bravo points out: " it must be said first of all that the state needs accumulation in order to solve the country's energy problem.
So much so, that one of the biggest uses of lithium batteries in the world is in the accumulation of energy during periods of low demand, to be used during peak consumption.
So, basically, it's about making the entire energy matrix more efficient, especially as renewable energies grow.
Today we have $14 billion worth of energy imports and what is needed is a clear strategy of what is going to be done.