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Lithium and strategic minerals in Mexico

Argentina. For full detail on Argentina, go to The Argentine Thread.

Last verified: 2026-10-26 · Status: Stable

Lithium is reserved to the Mexican State: the Constitution bars concessions for lithium and radioactive minerals, and the Mining Law bars any concession, license, contract, permit or authorization for lithium. Exploration, exploitation and the value chain belong to the public agency Litio para México (LitioMx), created by decree of 23 August 2022, and a 234,855 hectare lithium mining reserve was declared in Sonora on 18 February 2023. Private companies can take part only as suppliers, service providers or downstream users, and a concession holder that finds lithium must report it or lose the concession.

USD conversions use MXN 18.6638 per US dollar, the US Federal Reserve H.10 noon buying rate in New York for 23 October 2026 (FRED series DEXMXUS), the latest observation available when this page was verified. Legal conversions in Mexico use the Banxico FIX, which differs slightly. Conversions are for orientation only. Fines set in UMA use the 2026 daily UMA of MXN 117.31 published by INEGI in the DOF of 9 January 2026.

Key facts

Private lithium concessions available	No Constitución art. 27; Ley de Minería art. 5 Bis, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Area of the Li MX 1 lithium mining reserve in Sonora	234855.1980 hectaresDecree DOF 18 February 2023, as of 2026-10-26 · in force

The rule

1. Constitutional reservation. No concessions are granted for radioactive minerals and lithium, and the Constitution lists lithium among the strategic areas the State runs exclusively, which are not considered monopolies.
Cost to do it: Not applicable: no private title is available.
Example: A battery maker cannot obtain a lithium concession in Mexico under any structure. / No currency amount applies.Constitución Política, art. 27, sixth paragraph, and art. 28, fourth paragraph, reformed DOF 30 and 31 October 2024 and 20 December 2024, Arts. 27 and 28, 2024-10-31 official text · verified 2026-10-26

2. Mining Law reservation. Lithium is declared of public utility; no concessions, licenses, contracts, permits or authorizations are granted, and areas with lithium deposits are mining reserves. Its exploration, exploitation, processing and use, and the control of its value chains, are reserved to the State through a decentralized public agency, assisted by the Mexican Geological Service. Mining concessions exclude lithium and other minerals declared strategic, and zones of strategic minerals cannot be concessioned. Hiding a lithium find inside a concession is a cancellation cause.
Cost to do it: Not applicable.
Example: A silver miner whose drilling finds lithium bearing clays must report the find; it cannot add lithium to its title. / No currency amount applies.Ley Minera reform DOF 20 April 2022; Ley de Minería reform DOF 8 May 2023, Ley de Minería arts. 1, 5 Bis, 10, 14 section VIII and 55 section XII, 2022-04-20 official text · verified 2026-10-26 · changed: The 20 April 2022 reform nationalized lithium; the 8 May 2023 reform added strategic minerals to the exclusions.

3. LitioMx. The decree of 23 August 2022 created Litio para México (LitioMx), a decentralized agency under the Energy Ministry with its own legal personality and assets, whose purpose is the exploration, exploitation, processing and use of lithium in Mexico and the administration and control of its value chains.
Cost to do it: Not applicable.
Example: Engineering, drilling or processing firms deal with LitioMx as a public sector client under public procurement rules. / No currency amount applies.Decreto por el que se crea el organismo público descentralizado denominado Litio para México, DOF 23 August 2022, Creation and purpose provisions of the decree, 2022-08-23 official text · verified 2026-10-26

4. Sonora lithium reserve. A decree of 18 February 2023 declared, for public utility, the lithium mining reserve Li MX 1 over 234,855.1980 hectares in the municipalities of Arivechi, Bacadéhuachi, Huásabas, Divisadero, Granados, Sahuaripa and Nácori Chico, Sonora, ordered its entry in the Public Mining Registry and mining cartography within three calendar days, and a separate decree of the same date instructed SENER to follow up its execution.
Cost to do it: Not applicable.
Example: No new mining concession for any mineral can be tendered inside the Li MX 1 reserve, because mining reserves cannot be concessioned (Ley de Minería art. 14, section II). / No currency amount applies.Decreto por el que se declara zona de reserva minera de litio la denominada Li MX 1, DOF 18 February 2023, Declaration and registry provisions of the decree, 2023-02-18 official text · verified 2026-10-26

Worked example

A Korean cathode producer that wants Mexican lithium supply cannot hold a concession or a production sharing contract. It can sell equipment or services to LitioMx under public procurement, buy lithium chemicals from the State when available, or import lithium and process it in Mexico under the trade and IMMEX rules. Investors comparing Mexico's State model with Argentina's lithium regime can find the Argentine side on The Argentine Thread.

Step by step

1. Screen any mining target for lithium potential before bidding; lithium zones cannot be concessioned.
2. Report any lithium find inside a concession to the Ministry of Economy at once.
3. For supply chain projects, plan around imports or State supply, and engage LitioMx through procurement channels.

Common traps

Structuring lithium rights through trusts, offtake or joint ventures with concession holders: no permit, contract or authorization for lithium is allowed (Ley de Minería art. 5 Bis).
Failing to report a lithium find: cancellation of the concession (art. 55, section XII).

Sources

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