2023-09-07 15:33:06
The lithium rush is launched in Portugal. The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) announced on Thursday September 7 that it had authorised, under certain conditions, a second lithium mining project in the country. This metal is used for the manufacture of batteries and essential to the energy transition.
Portugal, which holds the largest lithium reserves in Europe, is already the main producer, but, for the moment, its production is used entirely for ceramics and glassware. “Like what has been done in similar projects, the assessment carried out took into account the strategic interest of lithium for the objectives of carbon neutrality and the energy transition”, explained the APA in a statement.
A first lithium mine project led by the British company Savannah in the town of Boticas, in the north of the country, had obtained a conditional authorization from the APA in May.
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Contested projects
The project validated Thursday, designed by the Portuguese company Lusorecursos in the neighboring town of Montalegre, provides for the construction of a metal refining plant. For an investment estimated at 650 million euros, Lusorecursos plans to produce from 2027 between 15 and 30 million tonnes of lithium hydroxide.
These two mining projects are contested by environmental non-governmental organizations and part of the local population of this rural region renowned for its production of beef and known to host the Iberian wolf.
Along with cobalt or nickel, lithium is one of the metals needed to manufacture electric batteries that will replace automotive heat engines. In order to reduce its dependence on imports, particularly vis-à-vis China, the European Union is preparing to open mines and refineries to process it.
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