The Serbian government wants to relaunch the lithium mine project, which it abandoned in 2022 in the face of popular mobilization.
It was 2021 in Belgrade. Demonstrators had invaded this highway to protest against a mining project. The mobilization pushed the Serbian government to officially announce the end of the project in 2022.
But now, two years later, this controversial project is back on the table, according to the Serbian president. The lithium mine will be operated by the mining giant Rio Tinto, which in the face of controversy, defends this project with caution.
“The publication of these plans does not mean that the implementation of the project continues. If it materializes, the studies will be subject to the regular procedure provided for by law, which involves a public debate“, explains Marijanti Babić, Rio Tinto representative in Serbia.
The lithium reserves, discovered in 2004, are located in Jadar, in the west of the country. They would be the most important in Europe.
But several organizations fear that the region will be devastated by the extraction of this metal, which could have an impact on water quality. Two years ago, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts warned about the environmental consequences.
“The implementation of the Jadar project would lead to massive devastation of spaces, permanent changes in the very nature of landscapes, degradation of land, forests, surface and groundwater, displacement of local residents, cessation of activities sustainable and profitable agriculture“, said Velimir Radmilović, from the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
This project aims to produce 58,000 tonnes of lithium per year. A volume that would make it possible to provide, “17% of annual European production of electric vehicles”, according to Serbian President Alexander Vucic. For the government, this project would bring about a real revolution for the country and the region.
“We can have an economic activity and preserve the ecology and the environment, as well as the populations. Serbia’s strategic advantage lies in ores and minerals. We must take into account the national interests and those of our people and not the interests of private companies“, explains Miloš Vučević, the Serbian Prime Minister.
According to the authorities, Serbia could exploit its lithium deposit as early as 2028. Environmental defenders promise to remobilize against this project.
