The project east of Loznica is just one of the many lithium projects that were widely announced in Europe – but are now barely making any progress. The projects are met with resistance from residents and environmentalists everywhere, who fear for their fields and incomes and for the preservation of nature.
In Brussels, this is likely to worry some officials. After all, last autumn the EU Commission presented an action plan aimed at making Europe’s raw material supply more secure. By 2030, it was said, Europe will need 18 times more lithium to produce batteries for electric cars and energy storage. At the same time, the EU wants to massively boost domestic battery production for electric cars with the European Battery Alliance.
The EU currently sources a large part of its lithium from China, where it is refined from raw materials. The raw rock, in turn, is mainly mined in North and South America and Australia, where the world’s largest deposits are located. Because the demand for the element is now increasing massively worldwide, smaller European lithium deposits are becoming attractive for investors and mining companies.