Vučić je za FT rekao da se čini da su nova jamstva globalnog rudarskog diva i Europske unije odgovorila na zabrinutost Srbije oko toga hoće li biti ispunjeni potrebni ekološki standardi na nalazištu Jadar na zapadu zemlje.

“Vjerujemo da Projekt Jadar ima potencijal da bude imovina svjetske klase koja bi mogla djelovati kao katalizator za razvoj lanca električnih vozila u Srbiji”, rekli su iz kompanije Rio Tinto za Reuters.

Vučić: Rudnik litija bi mogao biti otvoren 2028.

Litij, koji se u EU i Sjedinjenim Državama smatra kritičnim materijalom, koristi se u baterijama za električna vozila i mobilne uređaje.

“Ako sve ispunimo, rudnik bi mogao biti otvoren 2028.”, rekao je Vučić za FT, dodajući da se predviđa da će rudnik proizvoditi 58.000 tona litija godišnje. “To bi bilo dovoljno za 17 posto proizvodnje električnih vozila u Europi, otprilike 1.1 milijun automobila”, rekao je predsjednik Srbije.

Beograd je 2022. poništio licence za projekt Jadar u Riju vrijedan 2.4 milijarde dolara nakon masovnih ekoloških prosvjeda. Ako se dovrši, projekt bi mogao zadovoljiti 90 posto trenutnih potreba Europe za litijem i pomoći da tvrtka postane vodeći proizvođač litija.

Tijekom 2021. i 2022. srpski ekolozi prikupili su 30.000 potpisa u peticiji kojom se zahtijevalo da parlament usvoji zakon o zaustavljanju istraživanja litija u zemlji.

Financial Times: Serbia to get Europe’s largest lithium mine

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is set to give the green light to British-Australian company Rio Tinto for the development of Europe’s largest lithium mine, two years after Belgrade abandoned the project, Financial Times (FT) reported.

Vučić told FT that new assurances from the global mining giant and the European Union appear to have addressed Serbia’s concerns over whether necessary environmental standards will be met at the Jadar site in the country’s west.

“We believe the Jadar Project has the potential to be a world-class asset that could act as a catalyst for the development of the electric vehicle supply chain in Serbia,” Rio Tinto said to Reuters.

Vučić: Lithium mine could open in 2028.

Lithium, considered a critical material in the EU and United States, is used in batteries for electric vehicles and mobile devices.

“If we meet all the requirements, the mine could be operational by 2028,” Vučić told FT, adding that the mine is expected to produce 58,000 tons of lithium annually. “That would be enough for 17% of Europe’s electric vehicle production, roughly 1.1 million cars,” the Serbian president said.

Belgrade canceled the licenses for the $2.4 billion Jadar project with Rio in 2022 following massive environmental protests. If completed, the project could satisfy 90% of Europe’s current lithium needs and help the company become a leading producer of lithium.

In 2021 and 2022, Serbian environmentalists gathered 30,000 signatures in a petition demanding that parliament pass a law to halt lithium exploration in the country.