Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is preparing to give the "green light" to Rio Tinto, which plans to open Europe's largest lithium mine in Serbia, the Financial Times (FT) magazine reported, N1 reports.
Vucic told the Financial Times that it seems that the "new guarantees" of Rio Tinto and the European Union (EU) are ready to answer Serbia's concerns about whether the necessary environmental standards will be met at the Jadar location, Reuters reported.
The agency said the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"If we deliver everything, (the mine) could be opened in 2028," Vučić told the FT and added that the mine was projected to produce 58.000 tons of lithium per year, which would be "enough for 17 percent of the production of electric vehicles in Europe - approximately 1,1 million cars," Reuters reported.
In 2022, Serbia stopped the Jadar project worth 2,4 billion dollars after massive environmental protests.
If completed, the project could provide 90 percent of Europe's current lithium needs and help make Rio Tinto the leading lithium producer, Reuters points out.
The Go-Change movement has collected 30.000 signatures for a people's initiative demanding that parliament pass a law to stop lithium exploration in the country. The signatures were submitted to the National Assembly, but the Assembly never discussed it, N1 states.
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