Rio Tinto’s Serbia Lithium Project Deemed Environmentally Safe by New Studies

Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto announced on Thursday that newly published environmental studies indicate its Serbia lithium project, halted in 2022 after widespread protests, would be safe for the environment. The $2.4 billion Jadar lithium project in Western Serbia could potentially cover 90% of Europe's current lithium needs, positioning the company as a leading lithium producer.

Lithium, essential for batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) and mobile devices, is considered a critical material by many major economies. On Thursday, Rio Tinto's Serbian unit released several environmental studies conducted over the past six and a half years.

"Results of scientific research show that the Jadar project can be realized safely by respecting the highest domestic and international environmental standards," the company stated.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic mentioned in January that authorities wanted to hold further talks with Rio about the project and welcomed public discussion on its potential implementation.

Just before the 2022 general elections, Serbian leaders revoked Rio's licence for the project in response to a petition with 30,000 signatures from environmental groups and local communities. Green activists argue that the mine, expected to be opencast, would pollute the water supply and cause additional environmental damage in Serbia, already one of Europe's most polluted countries.

Marijanti Babic, Rio's representative in Serbia, stated that the company published the studies to "renew a public dialogue" about the project. "These studies give an opportunity to the local community and all interested parties to see for themselves what has been done so far," she said.