Lithium mine in Serbia would be the largest in Europe and cover 90% of demand
Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar announced the creation of a “health expert team” to assess the impact of the lithium mine in Serbia on citizens’ health. Loncar explained that the team will include the head of the hygiene department, epidemiology experts, and other specialists with extensive experience in environmental pollution.
The move comes after protests shook the whole country. Recently, protests have taken place in 28 Serbian cities and, according to announcements, 19 more will be held by Saturday.
Last month, the government restored the license to Australian multinational Rio Tinto to develop what could be Europe’s largest lithium mine. Serbia has about 1.2 million tons of lithium reserves, and the government uses the leverage of raw materials to negotiate its relations with the EU. The idea is to dig in the Jadar River valley, northwest of the country. If implemented, the mining project will cost $2.4 billion and could cover 90% of Europe’s lithium needs. Rio Tinto would become one of the world’s leading lithium producers. The license had been cancelled two years ago because of environmental protests, and then the Constitutional Court retracted it at the beginning of the month. The mobilizations involved thousands of people calling for the government to ban lithium mining.
The government sees the project as an opportunity to strengthen the national economy. However, residents warn that lithium extraction, using dangerous substances such as arsenic and sulfuric acid, could cause severe pollution, endangering the population’s health and the environment.
Rio Tinto argues that environmental studies demonstrate that you can operate safely. However, the local community is determined to prevent the construction of the mine. The protesters promised to intensify the protests if the government does not step back.