Vucic: We don’t know how to mine lithium ourselves, but I will request for 87.1% of the raw materials to be processed in Serbia

The president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated during yesterday’s conversations with citizens about the mining of lithium, lasting several hours, that Serbia would benefit greatly from the mining of lithium if such a decision was made, and that Loznica and Krupanj would benefit the most. In Ljubovija, he said that “in the mine alone and in the basic processing, at least 900 to 1,000 people will work.”

He said that the benefit will be bigger if final products made from lithium end up being manufactured in Serbia too, that is, batteries for electric cars, and that his request would be for at least 87.1% of the raw material to have to be processed in Serbia.

– I will not let 100% of the raw material be exported, 87.1% has to be processed in Serbia, and it is only then that what has the biggest price can go outside – Vucic said while answering the citizens’ questions.

He added that there were already “negotiations with many,” but that pre-agreements had not been made with anybody about the construction of the cathode factory, among which are companies from South Korea, Japan and many others.

Vucic said that “all battery factories are interested” in investing in Serbia and that there were also “several interested car manufacturers,” in addition to Stellantis, which already has its electric car factory in Kragujevac.

– If we only brought one more final producer who will use our batteries, the salaries would skyrocket, the budget of Loznica would skyrocket, the budget of Krupanj would skyrocket – said Vucic.
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“Russia has prevented the raising of the ore rent, but it is 5% in many other countries too”

The president of Serbia also stated that he had wanted to raise the ore rent in the state, which is five percent, but that it wasn’t “a simple process.” Answering the citizens’ questions in Ljubovija about the mining of lithium, Vucic said that, when he had wanted to raise the ore rent, “there wasn’t a person in Russia who didn’t pounce on me,” which had concerned the Serbian sources of gas and oil, now owned by the Russian Gazprom.

Vucic said that the ore rent amounted to five percent in many other countries as well.

– I didn’t come up with this ore rent, but some other people did, much earlier, for metallic and non-metallic ores, the ore rent is five percent. We will try to raise the ore rent, but it will not be an easy process, not simple at all – said Vucic.
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Talking about Rio Tinto and other companies in the mining business, Vucic said that, if they don’t have a decent profit, they will leave here.

When answering the question why Serbia wasn’t mining lithium itself, Vucic said that it was because “we don’t know how to do it and we won’t know for another 50-60 years.”

– For many years more, we will not know how to extract lithium from jadarite, we don’t have the know-how, we don’t have the machines, we don’t know, we have to bring over someone from the outside – said Vucic.

He said that Germany had made the decision to mine lithium because “they want to be the first ones in that fifth industrial revolution, in order to be able to progress,” and that Serbia had the opportunity to “hop on the bandwagon first,” when it comes to “the fifth industrial revolution.”

Finally, Vucic invited Riot Tinto to “guarantee clean waters, a clean Jadar, a clean Drina, to have the landfill well protected due to solid waste, to provide solutions to people for both agricultural land and the forests.”

The official part of the conversation with citizens in Ljubovija about the mining of lithium, which was also attended by representatives of Rio Tinto, was completed after six hours, and Vucic said at the end that the state expected the company to “fully remove every potential danger of jeopardizing people and their health due to the use of sulfuric acid.”

– We are waiting for all these studies, to be able to react. Our negotiations are yet to come, to see how much the state will benefit from the project, that is yet to be discussed and negotiated – said Vucic.

He said that there would be “at least 22 months of a de facto public discussion” about lithium, when Rio Tinto would have the opportunity to answer all of citizens’ and institutions’ questions.

Answering the citizens’ questions, Vucic said that, if no agreement is reached, Rio Tinto “will not leave so easily.”

– They will sue our country for several billions – said Vucic and reminded that the company had arrived and got all the permits in 2001.

Following the completion of the discussion about lithium, the representatives of Rio Tinto left the rooms where the meeting of president Vucic with citizens was being held.

Predsedništvo Republike Srbije

Rio Sava Exploration d.o.o. Beograd

president of Serbia

Rio Tinto

Aleksandar Vučić

lithium

lithium mining

jadarite

Jadar project

talks about lithium

ore rent

lithium processing

lithium battery factory