The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said it has not confirmed a claim that Thailand is home to the world's third-largest site of lithium. However, the ministry's top authority confirmed that the deposits in the country's southern province of Phangnga have a higher content of lithium than many other key deposits around the world.
The statement followed an earlier citing by deputy government spokeswoman Rudklao Suwankiri that the county had found more than 14.8 million tonnes of lithium. According to her post on the government website on Thursday, the discovery "has the country the third-largest reserves of the mineral in the world after Bolivia and Argentina".
Lithium is regarded as a significant raw material for EV car batteries. The finding thus backs a statement previously made by the Ministry of Industry that Thailand's lithium deposits have good potential to serve the government's plan of making the country a hub for making electric vehicles and parts.
The discovery of the mineral is hoped to promote and lure more foreign investment to the electric vehicle industry. Forecasts also suggest that demand for lithium will double by 2025 and reach over two million tonnes by 2030.
According to the ministry's permanent secretary, Jatuporn Buruspat, the Department of Mineral Resources and the Department of Primary Industries and Mines have been working together to set up the country's mining zone.
Regarding the record lithium claim, he said: "We have the potential, but we can't confirm the amount or whether it will be the world's third-largest site."
Meanwhile, Maitree Chongkraijak, chairman of the Happiness Civil Society in Phangngga Association, said he did not believe the southern province would have such a huge deposit.
He added that the province in the past was known for its tin mines. But it is sufficiently rich in culture, history and tourism so that it could create a well-economic-based community.
"We should make the right decision on whether we will promote the mining industry, which is rather against the province's plan to become a hub for ecological tourism and wellness. It needs to be discussed based on accurate information. The issue has become a hot topic in the province as they would like to know whether (the claim about the lithium site) is true or not," he said.
Jessada Denduangboripant, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, said he doubted the claim that 14.8 million tonnes had been found in the two sites of Ruangkiat and Bang Etu in Phangnga.
He said the amount may refer to the discovery of pegmatite, which contains around 0.45% lithium. This would mean much less could be extracted. "Based on a rough calculation, it would only be 60,000-70,000 tonnes!" he posted on Facebook.