Claimed to be the world's third... Correction on the announcement of lithium deposit discovery

Thailand Corrects Data Two Days After Announcement
"Lithium Amount Not 14.8 Million Tons but About 60,000 Tons"

The Thai government retracted its announcement claiming that it had become the world's third-largest lithium holder after discovering a massive lithium deposit, stating two days later that the claim was false. They explained that the total amount of rock containing lithium was mistakenly reported as the amount of lithium itself.

On the 21st, local media including the Bangkok Post reported that government deputy spokesperson Ratklao Suwankiri corrected the previous day's statement about the large lithium deposit found in Phang Nga Province in southern Thailand. He explained, "The 14.8 million tons is not all lithium but the total amount of mineral resources discovered," adding, "We just wanted to share some 'good news' about the lithium discovery."

Argentina lithium production site. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article.

Earlier, on the 18th, Deputy Spokesperson Ratklao cited a report from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to announce the large lithium discovery on the government website. He claimed, "14.8 million tons of lithium have been found," and "Thailand now becomes the world's third-largest lithium holder after Bolivia and Argentina." This statement quickly attracted global attention, being reported by major international media. However, experts pointed out that the figure of 14.8 million tons referred to the total rock containing lithium, and the actual lithium content was only about 66,600 tons, which is 0.45% of the total minerals, sparking controversy. In response, the Thai government issued a correction to clarify the facts.

As global competition for rare mineral resource development intensifies, lithium?known as "white oil"?has rapidly increased in value as a key raw material for smartphone and electric vehicle batteries. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that Bolivia, Argentina, the United States, Chile, Australia, and China hold the largest lithium reserves in that order.

Deputy Spokesperson Ratklao stated, "Regardless of the amount of lithium, the discovery of 14.8 million tons of mineral resources is still good news for the Thai people," and added, "The government is doing its best to make Thailand a hub for electric vehicle production."