Miner Savannah Resources At the end of May, it received approval from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) for the development of a lithium extraction project in Barroso (in the town of Boticas), just 30 kilometers from Ourense. And at the beginning of last September, Vigo Lighthouse, of the Prensa Ibérica group announced that another company, Lusorecursos, also received an “OK” for its mine, just 15 kilometers from the Galicia border. and will additionally include: refinery construction. Work would begin in 2025, with the start of exploitation two years later, the company reported at the time; The company is currently under judicial review in a macro case related to alleged corruption. The first minister of the neighboring country caused the resignation of the socialist Antonio Costa.
Both Savannah Resources and Lusorecursos are two companies in the north of Portugal (both in the Vila Real region) that are accelerating the extraction of lithium, an important material in the production of batteries to meet the need for electric cars.
In the first case, the facility is planned to be built in the town of Boticas after the Environmental Impact Declaration (DIA) is received positively. In the second and a little further north, The operation and refinery will be in MontalegreIn a project known as Roman Mine.
“APA has made the use of lithium in Mina do Romano in the municipality of Montalegre environmentally feasible by issuing a positive Environmental Impact Statement, subject to compliance with a wide set of conditions,” he said regarding the Portuguese Government Agency’s proposal. Lusorecursos will have to relocate the refinery, which “must be the subject of an autonomous Environmental Impact Assessment procedure.”
Regardless, Lusorecursos celebrated the milestone and considered it a significant step forward for their project. They plan to invest 650 million euros. The concession covers: total area of 825.4 hectaresSimilar to that of Savannah Resources.
Additionally, APA argued that this project “includes a socioeconomic compensation package that includes the allocation of 75% of operating costs (royalties) to the municipality of Montalegre.” In addition, the positive declaration requires a description of the compensation to be given to local communities and landowners, as well as measures to mitigate or compensate for the impact on local fauna and flora, such as the Iberian wolf.