The project “Jadar”, which envisions the lithium and borate exploitation near Loznica, will be according to the highest world standards of environmental protection, the Minister of Mining Aleksandar Antić promised.
At the meeting of the Working Group for the project “Jadar” near Loznica, he said that the application of state-of-the-art technology, especially in the exploitation and processing of mineral resources, will bring multiple benefits for the local community and the state.
The “Jadar” Project is being developed by Rio Tinto, which has invested more than $90 million in it.
A working group that assesses the impact of this project on the quality of life of the local community and the development of the economy in Serbia has now considered issuing permits for exploitation and the state of the infrastructure necessary to start the exploitation of the site.
Representatives of the Government, the City of Loznica and Rio Sava Exploration from the Rio Tinto group were present at the meeting.
Rio Tinto is in the elaboration of the Preliminary Justification Study, and if the analysis shows justification, the start of production is expected in 2023.
The Government of Serbia and the British-Australian company Rio Tinto signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the “Jadar” Project at the end of July last year.
Jadar is considered one of the largest lithium sites in the world because it has high concentrations of lithium and boron, and the geological base is estimated at 200 million tons.
