Savannah Resources (LON: SAV) is pushing back against media reports that a United Nations committee has accused Portuguese authorities of violating international law during the approval process for the company’s Barroso lithium project.
In a statement to MINING.COM, Savannah’s Communications Manager António Neves Costa said that two of the public bodies named in the UN document have clarified their positions, stating that no step of the licensing process was carried out in violation of Portuguese law.
The clarifications follow a report by the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee, which alleged that Portugal failed to guarantee citizens’ rights to environmental information and participation during the project’s licensing process.
The Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA) said the Barroso project underwent the longest public consultation period ever granted to an industrial project in the country, spanning more than 110 days. The Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N) also rejected the suggestion that it withheld information, stating that all documents were made available in line with national law.
According to Reuters, the UN committee’s findings have reinforced calls from local residents and environmental groups for the project’s license to be revoked. The APA, while noting a “divergent interpretation” of the Convention, maintains that it acted in strict compliance with administrative procedures.
Savannah Resources is seeking to develop what it calls Western Europe’s largest mine of spodumene, a hard-rock form of lithium. The company plans to build four open-pit mines in northern Portugal, with the goal of producing enough lithium annually for 500,000 to one million electric vehicle batteries. First output is slated for 2027.
