Savannah Completes Drilling Phase at Barroso Mine, Plans Data Analysis
Savannah has completed a phase of drilling at the Barroso mine in Boticas and will now demobilize the machines and analyze the collected data in the laboratory. The company aims to start production by the end of 2026.
Nearly a year after the favorable Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) was issued for the Barroso lithium mine in Boticas, Vila Real district, Savannah provided an update on the project. The statement highlighted the expectation to begin production by late 2026. The APA made lithium exploration environmentally viable by issuing a favorable DIA on May 31, 2023, although it included numerous conditions.
Savannah has already acquired over 100 plots of land in Boticas for the lithium mine. The initial phase of the project concluded in May, complying with the plan approved by the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG) and following the current activity schedule. This phase of drilling was successfully completed, resulting in various data that will be processed in the coming weeks in geology, mineralogy, and advanced modeling laboratories.
During this period, Savannah will clean and rehabilitate the platforms used since October, including demobilizing the machine on one of the 100 plots of land acquired, which is being contested by a group opposed to the project. In Covas do Barroso, residents have organized pickets for almost six months to prevent the company's machines from moving onto land they claim has been "usurped," an accusation Savannah disputes, currently before the courts.
The next phase of activities is scheduled for early summer, and the team will continue hydrogeological and environmental monitoring work. The Barroso lithium project is expected to create 300 direct jobs and nearly 2,000 indirect jobs in the region, currently employing around two dozen local employees.
Savannah Resources is a mineral resources development company and the sole owner of the Barroso lithium project in northern Portugal.
