The contract for the attribution of exploitation of lithium mineral deposits and associated minerals in the municipality of Montalegre was signed this Friday by the Directorate General of Energy and Geology (DGEG), representing the Portuguese State, and Lusorecursos.
The company has developed a business plan to implement in the parish of Morgade, in the district of Vila Real, where it is preparing to advance with the exploitation of lithium and where it plans to invest around 500 million euros and create around 500 jobs.
The mayor of Montalegre, Orlando Alves, said he was pleased that the "exploration contract" had been signed.
"I think it is an anchor investment for the county, for the region and also for the entire northern zone. It can be, and I hope it will be, an anchor project that brings development, brings work, brings qualified employment and helps to fix people to the land and that everything is done in absolute respect for the preservation of the landscape and the environment, "he said. .
The mayor said that this position had already been presented, in own place, when the Chamber of Montalegre was confronted with a request for an opinion from the DGEG.
The CEO of Lusorecursos, Ricardo Pinheiro, has already pointed out 2020 as the year in which it is expected that the exploration will start later, in 2022, to start delivering the lithium hydroxide to the customers.
According to Lusorecursos, in the area investigated in Sepeda, the prospects point to a deposit of "30 million tons" of lithium. However, the concession area is much higher than that investigated.
The industrial plant to be implemented will be separated into two phases, and in the first one, in the designated concentrator, will be made the separation of the various minerals that will leave the farm. Then, in a subsequent phase, the lithium hydroxide to be used in the electric batteries will be processed in the refinery.
The remaining raw material, such as feldspar, kaolin or other clays, will feed a ceramic factory, which will produce "large boards" that can be used in coatings or flooring.
Sepeda's mining project also foresees the construction of 10 kilometers of footbridges that will cross the concession area and show tourists how to extract and transform lithium.
The worldwide demand for lithium, used in the production of car batteries and plates used in the manufacture of household appliances, is increasing and Portugal is recognized as one of the countries with sufficient reserves for economically viable commercial exploitation.
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