The Pentagon dubbed Afghanistan 'the Saudi Arabia of lithium.' Now, it is American rivals that are angling to exploit those coveted reserves. Miners work to extract gemstones including kunzite and tourmaline in a mine in the Parun Valley in Afghanistan's Nurestan province. In doing so, they unearth lithium-bearing ore.
Chile holds the world's largest lithium reserves and is the world's second-largest producer. Lithium is currently produced from hard rock or brine mines. Australia is the world's biggest supplier, with production from hard rock mines. Argentina, Chile and China mainly produce it from salt lakes.
The latest move is a maybe, could-be deal worth billions to tap Afghanistan's rich veins of lithium, the key input for the energy transition that powers everything from laptops to electric cars.
Afghanistan has over 1,400 mineral fields, containing barite, chromite, coal, copper, gold, iron ore, lead, natural gas, petroleum, precious and semi-precious stones, salt, sulfur, lithium, talc, and zinc, among many other minerals. Gemstones include high-quality emeralds, lapis lazuli, red garnet and ruby.
Afghanistan does sit atop huge deposits of copper, iron, marble, talc, coal, lithium, chromite, cobalt, gold, lapis lazuli, gemstones, and more—making Afghanistan one of the world's most resource-rich countries on paper.
Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium.
It is known for producing some of the finest fruits, especially pomegranates and grapes as well as sweet melons and mulberries.
By 2050, the US expects to import more than 80 percent of its petroleum from this region and much of that oil would be extracted from beneath the deserts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The struggle for control of this last great deposit of oil has been called “the Great Game.”
Afghanistan is rich in resources like copper, gold, oil, natural gas, uranium, bauxite, coal, iron ore, rare earths, lithium, chromium, lead, zinc, gemstones, talc, sulphur, travertine, gypsum and marble.
Afghanistan's Taliban-led administration has signed a contract with a Chinese company to extract oil from the Amu Darya basin and develop an oil reserve in the country's northern Sar-e Pul province.
Out of the 26 million tons of global lithium reserves as per the U.S. Geological Survey published in January 2023, Chile was home to the largest lithium reserves base with 9.3 million tons of proven lithium reserves. Australia was ranked #2 based on the lithium reserves with a reserve base of nearly 6.2 million tons.
Australia and Chile: Dominating Global Lithium Supply
Australia and Chile stand out as the top producers of lithium, accounting for almost 77% of the global production in 2022. Australia, the world's leading producer, extracts lithium directly from hard rock mines, specifically the mineral spodumene.
There is only one operational lithium mine in the U.S., in Nevada, and one operational rare earth element mine, in Mountain Pass, Calif., meaning that the U.S. is dependent on other countries for the materials essential for clean energy technologies like batteries, wind turbines, and solar panels.
Tesla officially broke ground Monday on a Texas lithium refinery, making it the only U.S. automaker to refine its own lithium. CEO Elon Musk said the refinery will produce enough battery-grade lithium for 1 million electric vehicles by 2025, which would make Tesla the largest processor of lithium in North America.
The Thacker Pass Lithium Mine is a lithium clay mining development project in Humboldt County, Nevada, which is the largest known lithium deposit in the US and one of the largest in the world. There has been significant exploration of Thacker Pass since 2007.
Mines and minerals
Afghanistan is rich in minerals and precious stones, much of it under-exploited as a result of the years of conflict. The mining industry in Afghanistan is worth an estimated $1bn annually, according to Afghan government officials.
The United States went to Afghanistan in 2001 to wage a necessary war of self-defense. On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terrorists attacked our country. They were able to plan and execute such a horrific attack because their Taliban hosts had given them safe haven in Afghanistan.
Although Afghanistan is located in half deserted atmosphere, it is still rich in water resources mainly due to the series of high mountains such as Wakhan, Hindokush and Baba covered by snow.
The war began after the Soviets, under the command of Leonid Brezhnev, launched an invasion of Afghanistan to support the local pro-Soviet government that had been installed during Operation Storm-333. Numerous sanctions and embargoes were imposed on the Soviet Union by the international community in response.
U.S. total imports of agricultural products from Afghanistan totaled $5 million in 2019. Leading categories include: processed fruit & vegetables ($4 million), spices ($504 thousand), tree nuts ($236 thousand), snack foods ($32 thousand), and tea, including herbal ($26 thousand).
Afghanistan Exports - values, historical data and charts - was last updated on July of 2023. In Afghanistan, exports account for around 20 percent of GDP. Afghanistan main exports are: carpets and rugs (45 percent of total exports); dried fruits (31 percent) and medicinal plants (12 percent).
Afghanistan usually trades with its neighbours, Pakistan being its major trade partner. Pakistan, along with India, receive around 75% of Afghan exports, followed by the United Arab Emirates, China and Turkey. Iran is the main supplier of goods in Afghanistan, followed by China, Pakistan and Kazakhstan.
Lamb and chicken are widely enjoyed, with the Afghan lamb kebab a very popular street food. Korma is type of stew with a base of fried onion and garlic, and can include meat, vegetables, chickpeas, tomato, fruit, yogurt and spices. Rice is a specialty and considered the best part of any meal.