There’s been a notable new name in the share register of the John Teeling-founded firm, Clontarf Energy, namely M Warner. This individual recently acquired a 3.13% stake in the company and shortly thereafter increased it to 5.98%. This equals to an impressive 430,000,000 shares in the London-based firm, currently worth around £300,000 (€354,000).
M Warner is likely to be an investor named Matthew Warner, operating out of London with an established interest in lithium, a sector that Clontarf Energy is particularly focused in, especially in Bolivia. The South American country has attracted significant attention due to its vast lithium deposits lying beneath its glittering salt flats – an essential component in the production of electric vehicle batteries.
Bolivia boasts an astounding 23 million metric tonnes of lithium, making it the world’s largest source of the metal. This has sparked intense competition from companies around the globe, including Russia, China, other European countries, and the US.
However, there was a dramatic shift in the political landscape of Bolivia shortly after Warner obtained his shares in Clontarf. The former military chief, Gen Juan José Zúñiga, led a coup attempt against the sitting president, Luis Arce, an endeavour that ultimately failed, resulting in his arrest. An assertion that this was a planned stunt to increase Arce’s popularity was later refuted.
As for Warner, the unfolding political drama in Bolivia will likely influence his decision to further invest in Clontarf Energy. Yet he’d surely be encouraged by the fact that despite the potential for political instability, the company’s share price surged, nearly doubling, after the attempted coup.