RIO Sava CEO says lithium mine will be environmentally acceptable

Vesna Prodanović, Rio Tinto, direktorka kompanije Rio Sava Exploration
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The CEO of the Rio Sava Exploration company said on Friday that her company’s lithium mining and processing project in western Serbia would be safe and environmentally acceptable.

Speaking a day before an announced environmental protest in Belgrade, CEO Vesna Prodanovic said that the feasibility study for the lithium mine is being completed and called all interested parties to look to reliable sources for their information. “We see that tomorrow’s protests are to preserve the environment. The concern of the entire population of Serbia, especially the Loznica region (where the mine is supposed to be located) about our project is understandable,” she said.

The Jadar mine project by Rio Tinto’s dependent company Rio Sava Exploration has drawn fierce protests across Serbia not just from the local population in the Loznica area. The Serbian authorities have been claiming that the lithium mine and processing industry will hugely benefit the country’s entire economy while economy experts are saying that it will not.

Prodanovic added that any industrial project attracts negative reactions and denied claims that the project will pollute all local water sources and flood the area with sulfuric acid. “Our company is committed to the project. We know all the potential negative effects and we are investing huge know-how and resources to develop the best solution to limit the effects on the environment to the levels set by law. We will respect Serbian and European Union regulations. This project can’t be implemented unless all environmental standards are met,” she said.