The mine company signs an agreement to lease 36 hectares for its industrial plant

They have access by the Miajadas road (Ex-206). It is the location that the company considers, due to the information in the scope document, which will be the most suitable for the industrial plant and the sterile deposit.

It is a location that is on non-developable land protected by the urban planning plan in force, industrial uses are not authorized, so it would be necessary to change the plan before

Extremadura New Energies (ENE), a subsidiary in Spain of Infinity Lihium, a company that promotes the underground mine project in Valdeflores, reported on Wednesday that it has signed a lease agreement that "guarantees the company access to 35.78 hectares located in the area that will host the industrial lithium processing plant" that is taken from Valdeflores for the achievement of lithium hydroxide This land is in the location already indicated in this newspaper as the most likely so that this industrial facility and the sterile deposit could be located: next to the Miajadas road (Ex-206), in the vicinity of the Olleta quarry and in front of the space occupied by the company Quesería el Castúo (the rented space and the location of the tunnel from which the Valde

Despite the announcement of the land lease agreement, it is a procedure prior to obtaining the permit. The company still does not have the authorization of Minas to start with the exploitation of the deposit. The only thing that has been granted is an exploration permit. What the company does have is a scope document, sent by the General Directorate of Sustainability of the Board, with the considerations and warnings made by different administrations regarding the drafting by the company of the environmental impact study, a document that is expected to be key in the final decision on whether the concession of exploitation of the reservoir is granted.

Therefore, what the company does is sign an agreement to get the land in case it finally obtains the operating permit from the general management of Mines of the Board. In order to reach that point, there is still a procedure that will last for months. First, the company has to present all the documentation for Minas to process the permit. He must provide the environmental impact study, the land restoration plan - with the guarantees to which he commits for that soil recovery, not only of the tunnel, but also of the land where the industrial plant, the sterile deposit and the raft will be located -, the exploitation project - also a decisive document to know how the work will be done in the deposit, in the tunnel and in the the last quarter of the year all the documentation to obtain the operating permit.

Then all those projects will be subjected to a public information procedure so that those affected or interested can examine them and pronounce themselves. There will be allegations. In addition, all competent administrations will have to inform, including the city council, competent in the planning of the territory and to which it would be responsible to give the construction license if the exploitation permit is granted. And, finally, the environmental impact statement will have to be submitted (if it is negative, the project automatically declines). Well, with all those documents, the general management of Minas must decide whether or not to give the exploitation permit.

But it doesn't all end here. Those affected who oppose the project can resort to judicial proceedings if it is authorized, while the promoters, if they do not obtain permission from the Board, could also go to judicial proceedings.

The mine company explains in a statement released on Wednesday that an agreement is signed to lease this land because of the three locations it proposes for the industrial plant and the sterile deposit, it is the one that is pointed out as "most suitable in the previous studies and in the comments included in the scope document" sent by the general direction of Sustainability

It is also reported that the cost of the lease operation amounts to 2.1 million euros and has a minimum duration of 35 years, which is the useful life of the mineral exploitation and treatment plan in the industrial plant. In addition, the company assured on Wednesday that the land of the 35.7 hectares "is already qualified as 'industrial' within the framework of local urban planning."

This statement clashes with, at least, three others that contradict that industrial uses can now be developed on that land.

The first is that of the director of the Urban Development Office of the City of Cáceres, who in the report that was sent for the scope document recalls that that land is qualified as undeveloped Mountain protection in its degree one, also recalls that it is located on the Calerizo, so it will be necessary for the company in the environmental impact study to "justify in a concrete and detailed way its

The second is the articles of the urban planning plan, which establishes that in the non-developable land Mountain in its degree one are only authorized buildings for agricultural and also residential uses or of public utility or social interest, but always with a maximum buildability of 250 square meters. Industrial uses are not contemplated. They are not possible.

And the third, and most resounding, is that of the Supreme Court, which in a ruling on June 30 has annulled the modification that was made in the urban planning plan that authorized certain industrial uses on undeveloped land protected by the urban planning plan.

In summary, putting the industrial plant on those 35.7 hectares will need a modification of the urban planning plan. The jurisprudence, with the recent ruling of the Supreme Court and that of March for photovoltaic plants in protected non- urbanible land Llanos, does not make it easy, not only will it have to be demonstrated that the environmental values that led to that protection no longer exist, but also that there is a general and public interest prevalent and special. The mine company will always be able to claim that lithium is a strategic mineral, but the groups that oppose the project will be able to justify that the land has environmental value and that the Cáceres lithium deposit is not the only one there.

In the statement, Jiménez stressed that the acquisition of land rights is an important milestone for the company and for the development of the project. "Completing this land agreement is another important milestone for the project, and we continue to work and move towards the next phases of development," he said.