Serbia: Protests against lithium mining

DW (English)

Serbia has huge deposits of lithium. It’s an important resource for the production of modern batteries, such as those used in electric vehicles. Still, the local population is up in arms about a planned, large-scale mining project there.

Transcript

00:00Zlatko Kukanovic is a 7th generation farmer.

00:04He tends to his two dozen cows every day and loves village life here in Gornja Nedeljica.

00:10We're cattle farmers and every year we sell about 100,000 liters of milk.

00:17My family, my five children, we live from that and we don't plan to change a thing.

00:26Just like many other farmers on the western edge of Serbia.

00:30But a global mining giant does have plans for the Jara valley due to its large deposits

00:35of lithium, a key component in electric vehicle batteries.

00:40Rio Tinto has bought up land and farms across the valley.

00:44It plans to mine 58,000 tons of the metal annually, enough to supply batteries for over

00:50a million vehicles.

00:53We're aware of Serbia's rich resources and the enormous potential, with confirmed reserves

00:58of 158 million tons of lithium borate.

01:03The government insists mining operations will meet the EU's strict environmental standards,

01:08while Serbia isn't a member, it's seeking to join the bloc.

01:13Only state institutions can control this.

01:17The investor will say, I'll give you the documentation, that's the basis of our work,

01:23and then it's up to the government of the Republic of Serbia to monitor this.

01:31Many in the opposition don't believe these words.

01:34Member of Parliament Aleksandar Jovanovic takes part in mass protests against the lithium

01:39mine.

01:42Everywhere Rio Tinto has been around the world, it has left behind devastation and misery

01:46in its wake, including civil wars and the destruction of nature and cultural monuments.

01:52His skepticism is shared.

01:54This expert has seen studies on the potential environmental impact.

02:03The ore is mined with the help of intensive subterranean explosions, and the lithium processing

02:08will involve 1,100 tons of concentrated sulfuric acid daily.

02:14That will leave behind a mountain of waste that will pollute the environment for centuries.

02:23Rio Tinto says it's willing to talk.

02:25It's invested 600 million euros so far, with plans for a further 2 billion.

02:30The company claims the mining will be done using precise planning and environmentally

02:34friendly methods, and create thousands of new jobs.

02:39Well I want to assure everybody this project is 100% safe.

02:43It's been designed to the highest standards in the world.

02:46We will not be a big hole in the ground.

02:49In contrast, we're an underground mine.

02:52Agriculture coexists on the surface with the mine together.

02:56And in terms of water, we will not impact any agricultural water, any drinking water.

03:01We will not be poisoning any water sources.

03:04But Zlatko Kokanovic and his neighbours don't trust any of the parties involved, the corporation,

03:09the government, the courts, or the state-controlled media.

03:14There's always this fear about whether the mine is coming or not.

03:19Of course I'm against the mine.

03:21It's not good for us.

03:23That should be in the desert, where nobody lives.

03:26We'll be left with no water.

03:28The mood in the Jadar valley is tense.

03:31This farmer is determined to keep his land and his livelihood.

03:39You mustn't dig up these graves, and I'm prepared to sacrifice my life to prevent that.

03:48Compromise on the lithium mine is a long way off.

03:52Mistrust in Serbia's institutions and Rio Tinto is too great.

03:57The government has announced that it will approve the mine in two years at the earliest.

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