Savannah Resources continues push against opposition of local people
With local people, backed by various NGOs, still bitterly contesting plans for an open pit lithium mine in stunning agricultural countryside in Barroso, in the municipality of Boticas, mining company Savannah shows no sign of breaking its forward stride.
The company announced today that it has appointed former government ministers Luís Mira Amaral (PSD) and Luís Amado (PS) to its ‘advisory committee’, along with Astrid Karamira – a German boutique wine importer living and working in Portugal, described by Savannah as a specialist in mineral supply chains and procurement – and Carlos Caxaria (former president of EDM, the country’s mining development company).
The idea of the committee, says Savannah, is to support it in developing the mine
“We believe that diversity of backgrounds enriches strategic debate and helps to anticipate the various challenges and opportunities facing our project and all the partners involved in it,” Savannah’s CEO Emanuel Proença said in a statement sent out to Lusa.
The open-pit lithium mine proposed for the municipality of Boticas, in the north of the district of Vila Real, obtained a conditional Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in 2023, and the company plans to start production in 2027.
Savannah explains that the advisory committee aims to support the company in the development of the Barroso lithium project “by contributing with analysis, recommendations and informed guidance, to ensure the success and sustainability of the project”.
The committee may adjust its composition, now with four members, and it will meet periodically with the company’s leadership.
Luís Amado was Portugal’s minister for National Defence and minister of State and Foreign Affairs, as well as secretary of State for Internal Affairs and secretary of State for Cooperation, and a member of parliament, having worked at Banif and Cabo Verde’s Banco de Negócios and EDP.He currently holds non-executive and advisory positions in several companies and institutions, is a member of the Global Advisory Board of Sonae, and is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fundação Oriente, as well as a trustee of the Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos.
Luís Mira Amaral was Minister of Labour and Social Security and Minister of Industry and Energy, a business manager in the industrial, energy and technology sectors, a university professor and a member of the orders of engineers and economists. He is currently a consultant at FNWAY Consulting, focusing on research, technological development, and innovation projects for companies and business associations. He teaches Economics for Engineers and Management for Engineers at the Instituto Superior Técnico.
In March, the European Commission recognised the lithium mine in Barroso as a strategic project under the Critical Raw Materials Regulation.
Last week, the association Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso (UDCB), MiningWatch Portugal, and ClientEarth contested the support given by the European Commission, lobby for a reassessment of its decision, considering it had only “partially assessed” the environmental and social risks implicit in the project.
Savannah says it plans to produce enough lithium “to supply at least half a million vehicle batteries per year, equivalent to more than three times the total number of vehicles purchased annually in Portugal.”
As yet, Portugal does not have a refinery for any of its mined lithium, albeit there is a plan for one, to be set up in 2028. A project initially presented by GALP has since been abandoned.
Source material: LUSA
