This general view shows partially demolished houses bought by Rio Tinto company in the western Serbian village of Gornje Nedeljice near Loznica, within the Jadar valley on April 5, 2024, . Rio Tinto released its draft environmental impact assessments on June 13, 2024, for a lithium mine project in Serbia that has been halted for more than two years after demonstrations accusing the australian group to withdraw information. According to Rio Tinto, the lithium reserves in Jadar, western Serbia, discovered in 2004, could annually produce 58,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate, 160,000 tonnes of boron acid, and 255,000 tonnes of sodium sulfate.
ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images
Residents of Gornje Nedeljice, a small village in western Serbia, are staunchly opposing a proposed lithium mining project that they fear will devastate their environment.
This is after the government has supported the project as a step towards economic development and alignment with the European Union's goals of reducing reliance on Chinese lithium, according to AP News.
However, local protested about a widespread concern on its potential environmental damage to the lush Jadar valley, which contains one of Europe's richest lithium deposits.
The planned mine, spearheaded by the multinational Rio Tinto, is intended to extract lithium and boron, essential for electric vehicle batteries.
Despite the Serbian government's assurances of economic benefits and compliance with European Union's safety standards, residents and environmental groups are not happy with their decision. They argue that the mining operations could lead to severe pollution of the valley's underground water reserves, farmland, and rivers.
According to the Brussels Times, mass protests in 2021 and 2022 led to a temporary suspension of the mining project, but it was revived earlier this year following a memorandum signed with the EU. This agreement, signed in the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, was a supposed "strategic partnership" for sustainable raw materials and technological advancements.
Serbia's Mining and Energy Minister, Dubravka Djedović Handanović, defended the project, promising that any development will adhere to stringent EU regulations to mitigate environmental impact.
However, the controversy has now intensified with planned demonstrations in Belgrade, where thousands are expected to rally against the mining project. Critics, including local scholars, argue that the risks of the mine outweigh the benefits, especially given the region's vulnerability to flooding and pollution.
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