Europe's Lithium Paradox (2025)

[bunniefuu]

(atmospheric music)

People often overlook

that everything

that was not born or

grown was once mined.

It might be an inconvenient

truth, but without mining,

there wouldn't be any buildings

or bridges.

No railway tracks or fridges.

No smartphones

or electric buses.

(atmospheric music)

I think I have a piece.

Yes, let's check.

Our fight against climate change

also relies on mining.

Lithium, for example, is a

crucial element for batteries

powering electric mobility

and stationary energy storage.

Seven percent of lithium oxide.

It's not like Europe lacks

lithium in its bedrock.

We have different kinds

of lithium in Europe.

Spodumene like this

that is very important

and lithium as zinnwaldite

in Germany, jadarite in Serbia

and many others.

Is lithium everywhere then?

Yes, Europe could

be self-sufficient

in terms of lithium, for sure.

Why don't we have any

operational mines in Europe?

Yeah, quite interesting.

They just see the disadvantages,

they don't see the advantages.

(vibrant music)

Climate change is the

defining challenge of our time.

To move to a

climate-neutral world,

the total demand for

critical minerals is projected

to triple between

today and 2040.

Of all the critical minerals,

lithium

stands out with

eight-fold growth.

These critical minerals

are vital for wind turbines,

solar panels,

batteries and electric vehicles,

along with many other clean

technologies

essential for advancing

towards a

climate-neutral society.

The International Energy Agency

has calculated

that we need 50 new mines

for lithium by 2030.

In Europe we have

loads of potential,

and yet, in the real world,

we still haven't got

any single operational

lithium mine in Europe itself.

That is a huge paradox for me.

It is a paradox.

As the race for critical

minerals takes center stage

on the global

geopolitical agenda,

Europe can no longer afford

to remain passive.

US President Trump enforced

a critical minerals

for security deal with Ukraine,

while also eyeing

Greenland's untapped resources.

Meanwhile,

China holds significant stakes

in the Democratic

Republic of Congo

and continues

to dominate the lithium market.

Although Australia

and Chile may possess

larger lithium

reserves than China,

the Chinese have

secured almost 60 percent

of the global lithium

refining capacity

and 75 percent

of global battery production.

To avoid sleepwalking into the

abyss, Europe's time

to act is now.

This map corroborates the huge

potential for lithium

mining in Europe.

We have deposits spread from

Portugal right up to Finland.

If you look at the

size of the deposits,

two of the crucial ones

are here in Serbia,

and there in Portugal.

Both of these mines face

quite a lot of opposition,

local opposition

and even national opposition.

Mining is needed,

but not always wanted.

Take Portugal, for example.

A number of locals

in Covas do Barroso

have voiced strong

concerns about

lithium extraction

in their region.

In Serbia,

an EU candidate member state,

protests have been elevated from

the local to the national level.

Many Serbs argue

that the mine will destroy their

environment and agriculture.

It just shows

that Europe's climate targets

often conflict

with local or national demands

for environmental

and cultural preservation.

(atmospheric music)

Doctor Peter Tom

Jones wants to dig

deeper into this

lithium paradox.

That's why he's travelling

to the Barroso region

in the north of Portugal,

where one of the largest lithium

deposits in Europe is situated.

Hello, good evening.

Please.

Jones is the director

of the KU Leuven Institute for

Sustainable Metals and Minerals

in Belgium,

an internationally renowned

interdisciplinary institute

recognized for its

expertise in lithium.

This is a copy of the five-liter

one, it's just a bigger version.

Beyond his academic work,

Jones has spent over 30

years passionately advocating

for a just transition

to a climate-neutral society.

(atmospheric music)

However,

he has come to recognize

that this transition

inevitably requires

the extraction

of critical metals.

This raises an

essential question.

Can mining be

conducted responsibly

and can Europe lead the way

as a global pioneer?

The problem is

that mining has such

a bad reputation

all over the world,

and yet in Europe,

we can do it in a different way.

We can do it in an

ESG-friendly way.

That's what I want to find out,

to see

how it can be done

in a better way.

(atmospheric music)

The first stop on his

journey is Boticas,

where the headquarters of

Savannah Resources are situated.

Savannah is a British

mining company

listed on the London

Stock Exchange.

This junior company has one

mining project in its portfolio,

the controversial

Barroso Lithium Project.

If all goes according to plan,

the first of four open pit mines

will commence

operations in 2027.

The project is going

to have four pits,

and this is just

a representation

of the timeline of the project.

We are going to operate

four pits in sequence.

One by one, and as we open a new

one, we backfill

the previous one.

In the model,

the location of the

first one would be right here.

Then we work on this one.

Then we would come

to this one, and

then finally to

this pit right here.

As you can see, two of the pits

here are already rehabilitated.

The trend in mining is to go

underground towards

invisible mines,

so why did you go for open pits?

From a technical perspective,

the resource is on the surface,

so it doesn't warrant

an underground mine here.

Okay, but I do see villages

which are relatively close

by this open pit in particular.

I guess they're

worried about dust,

noise, vibrations,

and water issues.

How do you deal

with those complaints?

We've already identified

and mapped out a lot of the

concerns from the population,

and you mentioned a few of them.

Of course,

we have mitigation measures

in place to manage and mitigate

and minimize all

of those negative

aspects or negative impacts,

whether it's sound, dust,

or air quality, for example.

We need to see it

before we can believe it,

so let's go to this place

and speak to the people.

(atmospheric music)

The mining activities would

occur in the Barroso region,

an area renowned

for its strong cultural identity

and recognized

as World Agricultural Heritage.

Despite its agricultural

significance,

the region also has a

long tradition of mining.

This region is the tip

of a protected area recognized

for its agricultural heritage,

and what's being

recognized is the

traditional

agricultural practices.

The resistance

will say that you'll

be destroying that way of life.

Those who protest the project

claim that there's a risk

that they're going

to lose that recognition

but it's interesting to

know that that classification,

that recognition

was granted in 2018

with already a series

of mining projects

in the protected area.

It's not at all incompatible,

besides the fact

that we're going to be occupying

a very, very small

portion of that area.

While driving to

Covas do Barroso,

Peter Tom Jones and

Thomas Gaultier pass

through numerous

semi-deserted villages.

The younger generation

of Portugal has

left the northern

part of the country

to pursue education

in coastal cities or abroad,

and they have not returned

due to the lack of jobs.

You reckon the

mine will provide new

economic developments here,

then?

It's definitely

going to create a

stimulation of the

local economy.

With more people coming,

you're going to have more need

for restaurants,

more need for

small grocery stores,

and that's going to

create stimulation.

These mine workers,

they will come

and live in these

houses again then?

They might if the owners are

ready to rent out their house

to the mining community,

to the mining workers.

Yes, absolutely.

It's an absolutely gorgeous

place to live, anyway.

(gentle music)

In my opinion, the nicest

viewpoint in the area.

Here we see the

beautiful valleys,

so where will your pits come?

There are four pits.

The main pit will

be in the second

valley down in that direction,

closer to the little

village of Romainho,

which is 580 meters

from our biggest pit.

Will they see the pit?

They're going to see the pit

to some extent,

especially at the

top levels of the pit.

They're also going to see some

of the waste rock storage

that's going to be there,

but it's going to be quite

hidden in the vegetation

and in the structure

of the landscape.

What's the reaction

of the people there?

Some are not very happy.

This is where the main voices

of protest come from,

from Romainho and

Covas do Barroso.

When I hear Covas do Barroso,

I think about the

resistance I see

in all these newspaper articles.

This is where it comes from,

because people are concerned

and people are afraid,

and that's what makes

the work worthwhile.

I want to go and

speak to these people.

Do you think they will

be willing to speak to me?

I'm sure they're

going to be willing

to engage and share their views

and their position

on this project

because it affects

them and it's normal.

Can I expect a

friendly encounter?

My experience is that

it's always friendly,

if not passionate encounters.

(gentle music)

Finnish researcher,

Toni Eerola, is

accompanying

Jones on this journey.

As a social geologist,

Eerola is investigating

local resistance to the mining

of energy-transition

metals in Europe.

His proficiency in Portuguese

proves particularly useful.

Were making a documentary.

Stop filming! Okay?

If you will use this,

I have a recording too.

However, the meeting

with the local

opposition highlights

the deep distrust

against the project.

I speak portuguese.

You can talk to me.

We know exactly

what you are doing and

what is the

intention of this work.

That's why it's not welcomed.

It's disrespectful to a

community that is struggling,

because of a company

of thieves and liars.

And you come here

to collude with them.

We've already been screwed

a lot of times and we

don't accept people like you.

That's why I

advise you to leave.

Dont challenge me

or youre going to get it.

The researchers are prevented

from freely engaging

with other local residents

in Covas do Barroso,

making it impossible

to accurately gauge

public sentiment

regarding the

lithium mining project.

What is clear is that the

project is highly sensitive,

with some locals feeling that

their livelihoods

are under threat.

(gentle music)

Tony, I was not expecting

this kind of hostility.

How do you explain that?

Yes, I was a little

bit surprised also

but anyway,

we can expect anything

in these kinds of situations.

The emotions were really tough?

Yes,

and that happens in activism.

The emotions, they are a part of

activism, a strong part of that.

They are really convinced

that lithium is a bad thing.

They do not see this as part

of a cleantech transition

to climate neutrality?

Yes, it seems to be

an absolute view.

The problem is that the mine

would be close

to that community,

but then they

refuse to recognize

the green energy transition.

They don't believe in that.

There's also a deliberate

attempt not to engage with us,

and not to give their opinion?

They spoke a lot with us,

but not in front of cameras.

They don't accept it

and refuse totally to do that.

You see a lack of trust

even in scientists like us.

Journalists, government,

researchers,

it's kind of systematic.

If they don't trust us,

what about the company

that is trying to do this?

That's the worst-case scenario

for them to trust a company

that intends to

mine on their lands.

Do you think the community

engagement strategy

of the company can work

in such circumstances?

Not with these people, probably,

but for the rest of

the community, I

think that it's worth

trying to do that.

Yes, we have work to do.

(atmospheric music)

In this historic church

in Mechelen in Belgium,

Jones seeks to find common

ground between civil society,

academia, public authorities,

and the mining industry.

We'll now kick off

with the SLO panel event

on responsible mining in Europe.

The responsible

mining model aims to

transcend past

questionable practices,

focusing on minimizing

environmental harm,

ensuring fair labor conditions

and involving local communities

as real beneficiaries.

Jones challenges the industry

to prove its commitment

to this transformation.

This is a major question that

the Serbian

opposition is posing.

How can any company that goes

for such a project

outside of the European Union

take along the very strict

ESG standards it has to follow

within the European Union?

However, the Social

License to Operate concept

also faces criticism.

Here, the protesters

highlight the

right to say no and stay silent,

letting their banners about

Portugal and

Serbia do the talking.

It's a paradox.

Civil society grapples

with the challenge

of balancing local

community rights

and environmental preservation

with the need to mine metals,

which are essential

for the transition

to a climate-neutral economy.

(atmospheric music)

However, not all

environmental organizations

are opposed to metal mining.

That's a topic addressed

by Julia Poliscanova,

a prominent figure

at Transport and Environment.

There you go.

It's a coalition

of over 60 environmental NGOs

across Europe.

While she acknowledges

the concerns

surrounding the

global mining industry,

she also recognizes

the necessity

of lithium mining in Europe.

You can have different kinds

of environmentalism, right?

You have organizations that are

anti and that

operate by protest,

and you have environmental

organizations that

rely on evidence,

for example, we as T&E, but

also rely very much on engaging.

We engage with politicians,

we engage with companies

to raise the standards of mining

but understand,

and we understand

that we still will

need a lot more

critical minerals

for technologies like

batteries and wind turbines.

You're trying to be constructive

in your environmentalism.

We are constructive

in the way we approach things,

but not scared to

call companies out.

When something's not done right,

we say so.

However, we understand

that only by working together

can we build this resilient

supply chain in Europe.

Still, many environmental

activists

simply don't trust

these mining companies.

They don't trust them,

and sometimes

they also have a

good reason not to.

Historically, we have a

lot of evidence of corruption,

of mismanagement, dirty rivers,

dangerous chemicals, et cetera.

There's also a responsibility

for the mining companies

to break with the past

and do things differently.

Before we delve

into the necessary

changes in the mining industry,

we should also reflect

on our choices as consumers.

Do we really need

to buy an oversized electric SUV

every four years?

Perhaps it's time

to rethink our economic model,

one that promotes circularity

through ecodesign,

thereby reducing our

dependence on mining.

Instead of mining more lithium,

we just need to consume less.

Whether we all use electric cars

or we go by electric bus

or even by train, we will

still need critical minerals.

We'll need them for steel

to make your rail tracks.

For example, or lithium to build

that bigger battery for a bus.

We will still need

a lot of those minerals,

but how much more depends on the

various choices that we make.

T&E has always been

in favor of a modal shift,

so how far can that take us?

We have looked

at it a lot as T&E.

We see that, for example,

if more people took

a smaller electric vehicle

as opposed to a large SUV,

we would need to mine a

quarter less cumulatively

of lithium and nickel by 2050.

That's a lot of mines

we don't have to build.

This primary demand can be

further reduced

by recycling more?

Recycling or broader

circularity is also critical.

Generally, I hope that

we in the world move away

from this linear kind of

extractive model

that we have today

and go to a more circular loop.

We mine lithium and nickel once,

but then we can

constantly recycle it

in a loop to produce

new batteries.

How far can we jump today

with recycled lithium?

One of the key

players is Umicore.

This multinational corporation,

headquartered in Belgium,

has developed an innovative new

technique for

recycling batteries.

(atmospheric music)

Something very special is going

to happen today, I understand.

Yes, it's the very first time

we're ever allowing a film crew

inside the battery smelter.

Is it because it's

a secret process?

It's unique,

and it's a wonderful process.

However,

it remains a pilot plant today

as the volumes are insufficient

to be profitable.

Here we can say a final goodbye

to the battery.

It's the funeral

of the batteries.

Yes, it's the end of

their productive life,

but it's the start

of a new life.

Which type of batteries go

into the smelter?

We can take a high

variety of batteries.

We take batteries

from the early-generation EVs

that are now becoming

end of life, not used anymore.

We also take

quite a bit of cells

that have quality issues

during manufacturing.

This is a proper

industrial pilot.

How much feed do you need

to have a really

commercially-viable

industrial factory?

We operate at a capacity

of 7,000 tons per year,

which is equivalent

to roughly 20,000 EV batteries.

Our ambition is to scale up

with capacities

that are 10 or 20 times bigger.

When will those

volumes be available?

We believe that in the

next decade, in the 2030s

that the end-of-life

market will pick up

and we have a role to play

with such an installation.

What's very

important is that the

volumes that will

be on the market

then will also be

available to us as recyclers

because today a majority of

these volumes

are leaving Europe.

You're saying

that they are leaving Europe?

They are leaving Europe

because Asian players are much

more competitive to take them,

and Europe still needs to invest

in higher-capacity installations

with lower costs.

People are hesitating

to put on these investments

because we lack a clear,

coherent policy to support them.

The European Union

still has a lot of work to do.

We're appealing very strongly

to policymakers in Europe

to make it happen,

and not just in a few years from

now, the time to act is now.

It's time to visit

the smelter with

a camera crew

and a flying drone,

the first time ever.

What are we seeing here now?

What's happening?

When the batteries touch the

molten bath inside this furnace,

something truly magical happens.

In a matter of seconds,

the critical raw materials,

lithium,

nickel, cobalt are liberated

from their original compounds,

and they're pushed

into separate,

high quality products, actually.

Nickel, cobalt will be collected

in the alloy,

which is now

tapped into the pot.

Then lithium is pushed

into the gaseous state

and we capture it

as a salt basically

in the flue dust off-gas system.

What are the main

advantages here, then?

The main advantages

are that it's safe by design.

We don't need to

open up any battery.

It's super efficient, high yield

of the critical raw materials,

and it's most sustainable.

Low carbon footprint,

less waste, less chemicals.

Is this a really

world-unique process?

Absolutely.

This is a process

that's invented

and developed here

in the center of Europe.

Do you think the Chinese want

to copy this process?

We know that they

want to copy it.

They are very interested

to learn about this technology.

We have Chinese

customers as well,

so we're in touch with them,

anyway.

All great news, but in China,

new, more affordable types

of batteries are emerging.

The so-called LFP batteries

or lithium-iron-phosphate,

which do not contain

cobalt or nickel.

If this battery becomes

the new standard,

current recycling technologies

could face significant pressure.

- Oh, here we have it.

- Yes.

Look at this,

this is the white gold.

This is industrially produced

Technical-grade

lithium carbonate.

It's fully recycled.

Fully from spent batteries.

Is that a solution for

our lithium supply?

We will need mining

for the foreseeable future,

but recycling is a key addition,

a key strategic component

for Europe to be more

independent and more sustainable

for its future mobility.

So, you can't recycle your way

out of the fossil-fuel economy?

You have to first produce them

and then recycle them.

Even with a major modal shift

in transportation

and a significant boost in

lithium-ion battery recycling,

some primary lithium mining

will still be necessary

to achieve a

climate-neutral economy.

This aligns with the EU's

Critical Raw Materials Act,

which sets ambitious targets.

At least 10 percent of lithium

is sourced from domestic mining,

40 percent refined

within the EU,

and 25 percent

recycled domestically.

In the European Parliament,

Jones meets German MEP

Hildegard Bentele,

who has played a

pivotal role in shaping

and refining

the Critical Raw Materials Act,

where lithium remains

a central focus.

How important is the lithium

supply chain for Europe?

It is very important

because we are super

dependent currently

from one supplier,

which is China.

We have to face

the situation that

the supply chain is interrupted.

China could hit

us hard by stopping

lithium imports from China.

We want to prepare

for this situation.

That means domestic mining

and refining in Europe.

So that we have

a current inflow of

potential battery

production in Europe.

Still, there is so

much opposition.

There's a lot of

hypocrisy in it because

if they saw the

conditions under which

lithium is mined in China

or in other places in the world,

the standards are much lower.

Actually, they are blocking

high-standard lithium mining.

For the purpose, what they want,

which is to have

cleaner transport,

a cleaner environment.

This is what we are aiming for.

They also do not see that

we have high tech in mining.

Jones witnessed

first-hand how mining

Jones witnessed

first-hand how mining

in the Nordic countries

is conducted more responsibly,

and has evolved

into a highly advanced industry,

featuring electric trucks

and autonomous vehicles

powered by green electricity.

Moreover, mining at depths

beyond 1,000 meters underground

bears little resemblance

to the hazardous and polluting

coal mining of the past.

What's happening here?

The sector has undergone a

remarkable digital

transformation.

This is where we load

and work with the hydraulic

stone knockers using joysticks,

Xbox and

PlayStation controllers.

PlayStation at

1,400 meters depth?

Yes.

Perhaps this explains

why the Keliber lithium mining

and refining project

in the Kaustinen

region in Finland

faces so little opposition.

The company plans

to begin mining in 2026.

A similar situation exists

in central France,

where Imerys aims to expand

its existing kaolinite mine

into an underground

lepidolite lithium operation.

Opposition

to this project remains minimal.

Both of these

projects were granted

the Strategic Project status

by the EU in March 2025.

Despite the protests, the Mina

do Barroso project in Portugal

has also been labelled

a Strategic Project.

We are seeing a lot of

deindustrialization in Europe.

Can this lithium supply chain

counteract that?

Yes, it can, because we have

seen that the mining sector,

which was in decline,

with these kind of projects,

can be revived

and can be made

into a new ecosystem.

It's not only mining,

it's processing,

it's refining, it's recycling.

We have the chance to establish

a completely new ecosystem,

which is future-proven, but if

we do not act now to revive it,

soon, it will really

be in decline

and will go away from Europe.

The European Union

is expanding its search

for lithium outside

of its own borders.

It has signed a strategic

partnership with Serbia,

home to Europe's largest and

most valuable lithium deposit,

a resource capable of supplying

batteries for one

million electric cars

or 200,000 electric

buses annually.

However,

the planned lithium mine

in Serbia's fertile Jadar Valley

has sparked massive protests.

What started as local opposition

rapidly grew into a

nationwide movement.

Shifting from Not In My Backyard

to Not In My Country.

Rio Tinto, get out of Serbia!

Get out of Serbia!

The contested British Australian

mining company, Rio Tinto,

which intends to

invest 2.3 billion Euros

in this major

underground lithium operation,

is facing unprecedented

resistance.

The ore found in the region,

known as jadarite,

was officially classified

as a new mineral in 2004.

It's here, we see examples of

the drill cores

and the jadarite.

If you look at this core,

the white dots that you

see here are the jadarite.

Compared to other lithium

ores present in Europe,

such as spodumene

in Portugal, Spain, and Finland,

lepidolite in France,

or zinnwaldite in Germany

and the Czech Republic,

jadarite is easier to process.

It does not require

energy-intensive

thermal pretreatment

or extremely harsh

chemical conditions.

From a purely

environmental perspective,

jadarite processing would

not pose more but fewer risks,

according to

metallurgical experts.

Here we see the valley.

The now-famous Jadar Valley.

From here, you can see where we

intend, if everything goes well,

to build the Jadar project.

If you look at that line

and maybe I can explain it here,

we are talking about

a surface area

of 220 hectares above ground.

- No, that's not big.

- It's not big?

If you think about, for example,

the Kolubara mine

in another part of Serbia,

which is an open-pit mine,

that's 60,000 hectares.

- You must be joking.

- No.

That's just the

footprint you see on top.

Yes.

That's the benefit you get

from an underground mine.

If you look at this picture,

imagine that this

is that area here.

The mine is underground, you

don't see it, you see only...

- It's an invisible mine.

- Yes, exactly.

It's an invisible mine,

which is completely underground.

Everything around the mine

remains the same.

It is a very modern

mine that will

be operated from a control room.

Everything will be controlled

electronically.

When you think about Jadar,

the area that maybe people

will see from this point,

if Jadar is built,

is rather small.

Everything around the area

and around the fence

will continue to

be the way it is

because we will

make sure that the

farming exists exactly the same.

There is no land subsidence.

Still,

there are so many protests.

Yes, there are protests.

Unfortunately, the narrative has

been based on disinformation,

and what we are

struggling with is

actually to see a

fact-based dialogue

and discussion about

the merits of this project.

(tense music)

During the interview, members

of the local resistance group,

Ne Damo Jadar keep passing by,

filming the Serbian

head of Rio Tinto

while making

their feelings clear.

You are wasting your time it

is useless what you are doing.

There is nothing for you here,

this is our living space.

We will defend

this with our lives.

If you want blood to flow,

you can get it.

Why are these local farmers

so vehemently opposed

to the Jadar project?

Ne Damo Jadar,

meaning we Won't Give Up Jadar,

is unwavering in its

resistance against Rio Tinto,

and it's clear

that they will not back down.

What is your main concern with

this lithium project

by Rio Tinto?

There is no concern,

there will be no mine.

Our job is to gather

as many people as possible

to bring 200,000

people out in the

streets and they

will have to leave.

The president wants

the mining project to happen.

The president wants

the mine to be opened

because he is the key lobbyist

for Rio Tinto.

Are you afraid of environmental

pollution? Is that

the main cause?

If the mine comes,

there would be no life here.

Isn't it sad that you

have these huge

lithium resources

in this country,

and you can't use them

to become rich in this country?

Europe would get rich.

They would get lithium batteries

and a healthy environment.

They would be the ones driving

around in the electric vehicles,

and Serbia would become

Europes landfill,

and we would suffer from

various diseases like cancer.

(atmospheric music)

It's striking to

see the lengths to

which Ne Damo

Jadar is prepared to go

to halt the lithium mine.

We are ready to

sacrifice our lives

in the fight against Rio Tinto.

What do you mean

by sacrificing your own life?

We will lie down

in front of the excavators.

We will burn them

and do whatever it takes.

Rio Tinto get out of Serbia.

In Serbia, the local protest

by Ne Damo Jadar has grown into

a massive national movement,

attracting a diverse array of

opponents against

the mining project.

Is it possible that behind these

doors people sit

who are only focused

on their mandate?

The opposition is

remarkably diverse.

Local farmers, urban

environmentalists,

Belgrade scientists

and Serbian nationalists

all united against the project.

In Belgrade, Jones meets

anthropologist

Jelena Vasiljevic,

who may shed some light on why

so many Serbs oppose the mine.

How do you explain

these complex,

massive protests

here in Belgrade?

Part of it is that it's against

the mining of lithium.

Part of it has to do with that

and with different arguments

about why the Jadar project

is complicated.

The complex part of it has to do

with the dissatisfaction

with this political regime

and how this whole process

has been conducted

in non-transparent

and non-democratic ways.

Many grievances

are actually being articulated

in this protest.

The lack of trust in the

government here is very loud.

It's very clear.

Where is it coming from?

We also have bad experiences

with previous projects.

We had many other projects that

were declared of

national interest,

and they were all conducted

in non-transparent

and non-democratic ways.

If Rio Tinto were a

Serbian company,

do you think the project

would have been okay?

Partially it has to do with

the bad history of Rio Tinto.

That is true,

it's not only about the economy.

It's not only about how you

use sustainable raw materials.

It's what you

politically do with it.

This is why people

are distrustful

and I would say they are right.

Anthropologist Jelena Vasiljevic

attributes the growing unrest

to the current regime,

which, according to her

and many protesters,

is sliding towards autocracy

under President Vui.

This is evident in the harsh

suppression of

protests in Belgrade

and the unlawful arrests

of many activists.

The movement continues

to gain momentum

with the support of

thousands of Serbian students.

The Jadar lithium project

has become deeply intertwined

with the political

opposition to Vui.

Should there be a referendum

on this project?

No, a referendum,

I don't think it's a good idea

because a referendum is always

dependent on how

you frame the question.

Then you get the

Brexit discussions.

Not only that, the political

climate then takes a lot.

The political

climate is important

and you also have

to have an informed public.

How can you have a referendum

when citizens aren't

informed enough?

Now they're staging something

that looks like an open debate,

even though we know

that everything is already done.

We needed to be

more prepared for that.

(atmospheric music)

Is the deep distrust

in Rio Tinto's lithium project

based on genuine concerns,

or is it also fuelled

by disinformation,

allegedly spread to

serve political goals

such as ousting President

Vui's autocratic regime?

Rio Tinto claims that fake

news plays a significant role.

At their information

center in Loznica,

they've even set

up a fake-news wall.

You see a lot of photos

of open-pit mines.

We know this is an

underground mine,

and it will not look like that.

You see the explosions, which

are connected to the open pits,

and how people are scared.

Here you have information

that we will use sulphuric acid

at 250 degrees,

which is not true.

We're using it at 90 degrees

as anyone can see

from the information

publicly available.

That we will destroy the water

sources for 85 million people,

which is underground in Jadar.

It is very easy to say something

like you will burn the skin

and lungs of people because

you will have sulfuric rains,

which is completely not true,

but explaining the technology

and how you use

the sulfuric acid takes time.

It's easy to throw

the mud at someone,

but it's difficult

to clean the shirt again.

It takes much longer, it's the

Second Law of Thermodynamics.

What do you then do about this?

What is your strategy?

The first thing is

that we plan community meetings

to meet with the

community face-to-face.

We've met more than 3,000

people so far in the past year,

and we've committed

to radical transparency.

That is, we put all the

information on our web page,

respond to all media inquiries,

and

rebut everything

that's fake news.

(atmospheric music)

Misinformation, disinformation,

and the lack of

trust are also issues

Savannah claims

to be struggling with.

In Portugal, lithium is

often perceived as toxic

despite ongoing

lithium mining in the region,

albeit not for

battery production.

Okay, so this is the NOA pit,

which is currently

being operated

for the purpose of

extracting lithium

and quartz and feldspar for

the ceramics industry right now.

Basically,

there is already lithium mining.

Exactly, there is lithium mining

happening right in front of us.

Why do people think

it's toxic, then?

It's issues of perception.

It's issues of perception

because people don't understand

what lithium is.

They don't understand

how it's transformed

to become a battery,

for example.

They're very much unaware

of the fact that

they're in contact

with lithium on a daily basis.

If we look at a ceramic cup,

people drink coffee,

every day they put

lithium to their lips.

The rock that's

used to make this

ceramic could have

come from this mine.

That's one of the major

challenges that we have

in our engagement

with the community.

It's trying to clarify

any misunderstandings,

using facts in order to explain

exactly what you just said.

There's already

lithium being mined

here and in other

parts of Portugal,

and it's not different from

what we're going to be doing,

except we're going to be

doing it at a larger scale.

Fighting feelings with

facts is not an easy method.

It's not easy.

As long as we

keep giving facts and

we build trust with

the communities,

those feelings are going to

become feelings

of understanding,

acknowledgment, and

hopefully acceptance one day.

(gentle music)

Building trust with

local communities

remains a significant challenge

in Portugal.

In Dornelas,

another nearby civil parish

where the mine is

set to be developed,

residents can speak more freely

than in Covas do Barroso,

allowing Jones to hear a

wider range of perspectives.

Do you think this project is

an opportunity for the villages?

I am not against it,

I can't see that

it would bring

something bad here.

When things come here

we're probably already gone.

Okay, thanks.

It will affect the

life in the villages,

and it will have

impact on our water.

They will probably

need our water.

We are trying to

minimize the water use.

This is what we are doing for

our food, animals, everything.

What is the opinion

here in Dornelas,

is the majority for or against?

It varies, there are people

against and in

favor of the mine,

but I think that here in

Dornelas,

and the Dornelas parish,

there is a part

which is in favor of

it, and the majority

is in favor of it.

I don't know about

the rest of the

people because many

are also against it.

We live in a region

with a rich mining past.

What are your major concerns

about this project?

My major concerns

are with water tables.

That concerns me a lot.

- Water?

- Yes.

In southern European countries

like Portugal,

water usage is a major concern.

With frequent forest fires,

locals worry if there

will be enough water left

for agriculture.

One of the main concerns

I hear all the time

is that you're going

to use so much water,

and this region

doesn't have any water.

Actually this region

has a lot of water.

It rains a lot in this region,

and rain is where

we're going to be

collecting our

water for this mine.

We won't collect

water from the river,

and we're not

going to be ejecting

any kind of water

into the river.

We're going to

be using rainwater

through water retention systems

over here, over here, and over

here, to collect the rainwater,

which will be used

to supply the mine.

Will you then recycle the water

once it's in the system?

Absolutely, it's going to be

working in a closed circuit

where 85 percent

of the water used will

be recycled and

reused into the mine.

Why are you losing

15 percent then?

15 percent

is lost through evaporation,

and is also lost through

the humidity of the material

that's transported

out of the mine.

(atmospheric music)

With the urgent need

to mitigate climate change,

the mining industry

has been given

a crucial role in human history.

However, to avoid

repeating past mistakes,

continuous dialogue

with local communities

and civil society is essential.

A future mine?

No, thank you!

In the Barroso region,

such a dialogue

has been challenging so far,

but things are

starting to change.

Early 2025, a new association,

Associao Futuro

do Barroso has been founded.

This association,

which also includes members

from the Covas do

Barroso village itself,

does not take a position

for or against the project.

Instead, the organization is

dedicated to fostering dialogue

and collaborative

solutions towards

a responsible mining project.

We know and are aware

that lithium mining will bring

some difficulties

and problems to the

municipality. But we must know

how to transfer

these difficulties into

great opportunities

for development.

(atmospheric music)

In Serbia, skepticism

and distrust still prevail.

However,

there may be a solution to

overcoming Serbia's

lithium paradox.

In countries where trust

in the government is low,

involving a third-party auditor

could be a crucial step forward.

I believe they already do so

because I think if you do want

to produce any of your reports

for environmental impact

assessment, for example,

you need to have

third-party assessments.

I do think it would be very

helpful to engage with IRMA,

the Initiative for Responsible

Mining Assurance,

and to undergo a self-audit.

Following that, a proper audit

because it would really show

to the global NGO community,

first of all, transparently,

how they're doing things

and secondly, that they

are trying to do things better.

IRMA has developed comprehensive

standards for

responsible mining.

These standards address key

areas such as

business integrity,

environmental stewardship,

social responsibility,

and community engagement.

They were created

in collaboration

with civil society

organizations,

workers, environmental

groups and industry experts.

IRMA could build

up trust in that way?

IRMA can help with

the global community

to show that their intentions

are going in the

right direction.

If the EU wants

to evolve to mining practices

that are genuinely supported

by the public,

IRMA could serve as a key source

of inspiration for an improved

rather than weakened legislative

framework for mining in Europe.

(gentle music)

For Professor Lima

from the University of Porto,

the situation is clear.

Mining could give Portugal

and Europe a well-needed boost

in a rapidly changing

geopolitical world.

He hopes NIMBY can be

gradually replaced by PIMBY,

from Not In My Backyard

to Please In My Backyard.

To mine or not to mine,

that is now the question

for the Portuguese people.

As you said, yes, we have the

best resources in spodumene,

and spodumene is being mined for

50 years for the

lithium industry.

- It's proven technology.

- It's a proven technology.

It's something that works,

really,

and it's an

opportunity for Portugal

to take advantage

of these resources

to try to do the lithium value

chain from mining

to the refinery

and then we have a very nice

automobile industry in Portugal.

Lithium has the power

to bring the Portuguese

back to this country.

These villages that

we were seeing,

when I started to work here,

they had many more people.

Their population

is now decreasing.

I see this not as a threat,

but as an opportunity

to bring some people to these

areas, to live here

with families,

to work here in industry.

It's an opportunity.

Portugal is now at a crossroads,

you go either left

or you go right.

Do you think it will happen?

I believe that in some of

the places it will happen

because the people

will understand

that the advantages are more

than the disadvantages.

Of course,

mining has disadvantages,

but it can bring a

lot of advantages.

It's what we need

to communicate to local people.

(gentle music)

With the EU backing multiple

strategic lithium

mining projects,

Europe seems to

mean business but

mining alone won't

solve the problem.

Without refining capacity,

Europe remains dependent

on third countries like China.

Right now lithium refining

is almost non-existent

across the continent,

but things are changing.

Germany has recently opened

a small semi-refinery,

while the Finnish

company, Metso,

is developing innovative,

cleaner technologies

to refine lithium

from spodumene.

Here we have the spodumene,

a heat-treated spodumene sample

from Finland.

It could be the same

as the Portuguese material.

Yes, absolutely.

This offers an

environmentally-friendly

alternative

to China's dominant

lithium processing method.

Is it unique for Europe

or for the world?

Yes, in many ways.

I would say that this is

Europe's best pilot plant.

Probably the best pilot plant.

Probably the best

pilot plant, yes.

It's still a pilot plant,

but the potential

of this technology is immense,

and the timing couldn't be

more crucial with China's grip

on global lithium refining

showing no signs

of slowing down.

Here we see your pilot reactor,

how big will the real stuff be?

It will be about

1,000 times bigger.

- A thousand times bigger.

- Yes.

What makes this

process so superior

to the conventional

Chinese process?

There are actually two things,

it's the waste generation.

Generally, it's very low and

then water consumption is low

because we are recycling

all the water in the process.

Is this then the European way

to solve the problems?

Absolutely.

This is a game-changing

technology

in lithium hydroxide production.

Since we are not producing any

harmful waste,

it can be all recycled.

We are not producing

sodium sulfate,

which is the issue with the

conventional processing.

Then we also

recycle all the water.

Practically all the

water that we put

in the process is

purified and recycled.

Here in this new

lithium refining process,

they found

the holy grail-type of solution.

Rather than using sulfuric acid

as a leaching agent,

which generates

the sodium sulfate waste stream,

they work with a very simple

product called soda ash.

This soda ash allows you

to get the lithium

out of the spodumene concentrate

and provides you

with a very clean process,

which is almost zero waste.

That's a huge step forward for

lithium refining in

the Western world.

This is the white gold

coming out of your process?

Yes, this is the lithium

product that

can be used now

in electric vehicles.

This is coming out

of your pilot plant.

When will we see the real stuff

coming out of an

industrial plant?

Yes, there is a Keliber

project which

is under construction

in Finland,

and it will start

up in mid-2025.

That would be the first

lithium battery-grade quality

we can produce in Europe.

Yes, that's correct.

In Europe,

we definitely need refineries.

At this moment, we don't really

have any large-scale refineries.

This is something,

we cannot continue like that.

No, I guess this technology

opens up the

possibility to do it

in a sustainable manner also.

You will be conquering

all of Europe?

At least, yes,

and the rest of the world.

(atmospheric music)

To complete a full European mine

to EV value chain,

battery and car manufacturers

should also be included.

In Serbia,

this scenario is unfolding.

Car manufacturer

Stellantis plans

to build its electric

Grande Panda in Serbia.

Additionally, Serbian battery

manufacturer ElevenEs

is prepared to open

new battery factories

in the country when the

lithium mine is operational.

It means a revolution in

economic growth in the country.

Actually, this product you see

here is the first LFP battery

made in Europe

several years ago.

It's lithium-iron-phosphate,

which actually has

lithium carbonate in itself,

which basically connects

the whole value chain.

Jadar will produce the lithium

carbonate for your batteries?

That's the hope for the future,

that we have everything local

and that we basically have

the first LFP value chain

outside of Asia,

present in Europe.

Since now you are dependent on

China for your

lithium carbonate?

That's correct, today everything

is basically coming from China

because it's a single market

where everything is created

from the raw materials

but it's about

to change in the next years.

We have to be smart about it.

If we do the right things,

we will have one of the largest

economic opportunities

of our lifetime.

How many jobs

are we talking about in Serbia?

We're talking about 20,000 jobs.

Twenty thousand?

20,000 new jobs

to be created only

by the battery

value chain industry.

Let's not forget,

it's supporting

the transition to

climate neutrality.

It's absolutely the essence

of climate neutrality.

As you know, this will

not only be used in cars,

this thing will be

used in buses, in

trucks, in construction

machinery,

in your home, in storage,

in large industrial solar parks.

It's the central item

of the energy storage revolution

we're about to face.

(gentle music)

How much material do you

need to produce one EV battery?

In this kind of quarry,

you need around one

meter by one meter,

and then two meters,

two cubic meters.

Then it's around

six tons of material.

6,000 kilograms of

rock for one battery.

One battery.

That is Europe's

lithium paradox, we

have it but we don't

seem to mine it.

Yes, it's like that.

I think that there was a wrong

communication at some point

that people don't understand

that, Europe importing

from China,

it's not an obligation, we

can do it ourselves in Europe,

from mining to the

complete lithium value chain.

The people look at a white rock

and they see a problem.

I see this white

rock as a solution

for the interior of Portugal.

Clearly, Europe

has the technology

to mine, refine,

and recycle lithium.

But the clock is ticking.

The Chinese are not holding back

in the supply chain.

Climate change

is spiralling out of control.

We need to act fast,

while at the

same time respect

local communities

to be part of this storyline.

We need to make haste slowly.

(gentle music)