Serbian government backs out of controversial Rio Tinto lithium mine
Serbia’s Jadar valley where Rio Tinto had planned to build a mine for the exploitation of jadarite, in the village of Gornje Nedeljice, near Loznica. Picture Oliver Bunic / AFP
By AFP
AFP
2 HOURS AGO JANUARY 21, 202o
Serbian authorities have abandoned plans to build a controversial lithium mine, the prime minister said Thursday, following weeks of protests against the project set to be built by Rio Tinto.
The surprise U-turn from the government comes months ahead of likely national elections with President Aleksandar Vucic’s administration looking to shore up support from voters following a series of major protests that gained traction across large swathes of the Balkan country.
Tennis star Novak Djokovic had protested against the mine on Instagram in a post dated December 5, which has since been deleted.
In a televised adress overnight on Thursday, Premier Ana Brnabic said: “We have fulfilled all the demands from the environmental protests and have put an end to Rio Tinto in the Republic of Serbia.”
“Everything about the Jadar project is finished,” she added, referring to the mine that was set to be built in western Serbia.
The mining project appeared to tap into smouldering anger against Vucic’s government, which has been lambasted by critics and activists for allegedly turning a blind-eye to the potential environmental harm that could by unleashed by the projects of foreign firms.
For weeks, thousands have swarmed key roads across Serbia to protest against the government’s handling of the lithium project. People gather to block the highway in Belgrade on January 15 as they protest against Rio Tinto's plan to open a lithium mine in the country. Picture: Oliver Bunic/AFP
Vast deposits of lithium – a key component for electric car batteries – are found around the western town of Loznica, where the Anglo-Australian company had bought up land and was awaiting a final green light from the state to begin mining.
Rio Tinto first discovered lithium reserves in the Loznica region in 2004. The company had intended to invest $US2.4bn (2.12bn euros) in the project.
Critics of the project, however, accused Vucic’s government of paving the way for illegal land appropriations and brushing aside environmental concerns.
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Following Thursday’s announcement, activists called on opponents of the mine to double down until the government banned future lithium and borate mining projects in the country “Just one more step! We’re close!” tweeted protest leader Savo Manojlovic. The hunt for lithium has set off a “white gold rush” across the globe as major corporations, including automakers, scramble to secure sufficient supplies to meet their ambitious goals to transition to greener fuel sources and technology.
Rio Tinto has been mired in controversy in recent years. A public backlash forced the firm’s chief executive and several senior officials to resign last year after the company destroyed a sacred indigenous site in Australia in 2020.
Critics of the mine also highlighted the Vucic government’s poor record with regulating its industrial sector, saying the administration has shrouded many projects backed international investors in secrecy.
– AFP
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