discord around a lithium mine

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Update

France 2

Article written by

C.Vérove, J.Jonas, E.Pinto Coelho, M.Le Rue – France 2

France Televisions

Lithium, whose price rose by more than 400% last year, is among the most sought-after minerals today, as it is necessary for the production of the electric batteries of tomorrow. It is a deposit located in Portugal that attracts all the attention.

Covas Do Barroso, in northern Portugal, is a valley listed as World Agricultural Heritage. Every day for 30 years, Paolo has come to graze his sheep on these lands. This landscape is now threatened. In its soil, hides a resource that arouses covetousness: two million tons of ores rich in lithium.

Covas Do Barroso could soon house the largest lithium mine in Europe. It is a highly sought-after mineral, presented in a promotional video as crucial in the energy transition. Lithium is essential for the operation of electric batteries and therefore for a greener future. For some geologists, the valley holds a treasure. To extract the lithium, the project provides for a crater 300 meters deep: an exploitation of more than 500 hectares.


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