Important step
The European car industry still mainly has to source raw materials for electric car batteries from outside the EU. However, an important step has now been taken in Portugal to extract lithium.
The demand for lithium is expected to grow explosively in the coming years because it is an important raw material for the batteries of electric cars. Earlier this year, the European Commission presented plans to become less dependent on China for these types of raw materials, which could help with lithium reserves in Portuguese soil. Extracting that Portuguese lithium is now one step closer.
British mining company Savannah Resources has received a positive verdict from a Portuguese regulator on the expected environmental impact of a lithium mine in northern Portugal. The company speaks of “an important milestone” and expects that the final environmental permit for the production will be obtained in less than a year.
Portugal is already the largest producer of lithium in Europe, but it almost always goes to pottery companies. Electric cars require a high-quality form of lithium, which mining companies are only now beginning to look for in Portugal. However, there is a lot of resistance to these projects from environmental groups and local action groups. For example, the Barroso region is rich in lithium, but it is also classified as a World Heritage Site for its agriculture. Activists demand, among other things, stricter rules for Portuguese mining activities and demand more transparency.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl