End of Setubal lithium refinery plans “worrying, sad”, says minister

Portugal’s minister for the environment and energy has called the withdrawal from the lithium refinery in Setúbal “worrying and sad”, particularly because it shows a weakened Europe. Maria de Graça Carvalho stressed that this is “not an isolated case”. There is a “certain cooling of the market in relation to the area, to lithium, to batteries”. All in all it is a crunch-moment for Europe to reflect on what is happening worldwide in the area of lithium, the automotive sector, hydrogen and energy in general.