The lithium deposits within the Jadar Valley have a political historical past: the mining firm Rio Tinto needed to provide as much as 58,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate from 2026 with an funding value billions. The development of the huge underground mine within the rural area met nice resistance from the native inhabitants and environmentalists. Though Rio Tinto had introduced quite a few measures – corresponding to using electrical dump vans, the greening of the spoil heap and the therapy of the mine water – the protests didn’t subside.
Consequently, the federal government revoked the regional growth plan. It successfully withdrew the premise for the mining undertaking – additionally in view of the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections on the time. There have been additionally rumours that Serbian tennis participant Novak Djoković’s refused entry to Australia in 2022 as a result of an absence of coronavirus vaccination may have performed a task. Djoković is near the Serbian president, and Rio Tinto is a British-Australian firm.
This revocation of the regional growth plan is now a difficulty: just a few days in the past, the Serbian Constitutional Courtroom dominated that the cancellation of 2022 was illegal. Consequently, the federal government issued a brand new decree supposed to permit lithium mining once more. Rio Tinto remains to be believed to have an interest, partly as a result of investments it has already made and the property purchases it has made.
It isn’t but identified how precisely the environmental considerations that formally led to the cancellation in 2022 will probably be addressed. Nevertheless, it’s changing into obvious that the federal government in Belgrade is now focussing on the financial prospects: Serbia’s Minister for Mining and Power, Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic, is quoted as saying that this undertaking represents “the way forward for Serbia’s financial integration in Europe.”
Actually, the lithium undertaking will change financial cooperation: Serbia signed a declaration of intent for a uncooked supplies settlement with the EU on Friday. In an interview with German Handelsblatt, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić defined that Serbia may mine 58,000 tonnes of lithium yearly. That may be sufficient for 1.1 million electrical automobiles. Rio Tinto had already talked about these 58,000 tonnes in 2021.
“Now we have one of many world’s largest reserves of lithium. This materials is a vital part of batteries which can be wanted for electrical mobility. The EU wants lithium, and we wish to strengthen our ties with the EU,” stated the Serbian president.
Nevertheless, he additionally made it clear that he needs to promote lithium and profit from the demand. “We wish to preserve the added worth – so far as doable – in our personal nation. That’s why we wish to find battery manufacturing in Serbia and solely promote a part of the lithium as a uncooked materials. On this approach, we wish to strengthen our place as a location for automotive manufacturing,” stated Vučić. “That may make it doable to export automobiles to the EU with out customs duties, as a big a part of the automotive could be manufactured domestically with the batteries.”
A “collection of talks had been held and optimistic suggestions acquired from the European automotive trade” – Vučić talked about Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Stellantis particularly, but in addition the Korean ambassador, “who had expressed his nation’s curiosity in manufacturing in Serbia.”
tanjug.rs, reuters.com, handelsblatt.com (Vučić, in German), europa.eu (MoU)