The Biden administration is expressing confidence that the U.S. can become a lithium exporter — a claim that some experts say is unrealistic.
“In lithium, we’ll probably be exporting by early next decade,” said Jigar Shah, director of the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office, to attendees at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event late last month.
Lithium, a key ingredient of the rechargeable batteries that make electric vehicles possible, is widely considered a key resource of the 21st century and is today mostly exported from Australia, Chile and China. The U.S. could hypothetically join their ranks, but numerous economic, policy and environmental challenges stand in the way.
Shah oversees the office that has made $20 billion of loan authority available since the Inflation Reduction Act passed two years ago. He said another $10 billion is in the works.
