MINEX Forum

Tag: Environmental Impact Assessment

  • Cerrado Gold’s Lagoa Salgada Project Clears Key Regulatory Hurdle in Portugal’s Environmental Permitting Process

    Cerrado Gold’s Lagoa Salgada Project Clears Key Regulatory Hurdle in Portugal’s Environmental Permitting Process

    Cerrado Gold Inc. has achieved a major step forward for its Lagoa Salgada project in Portugal as its subsidiary, Redcorp – Empreendimentos Mineiros, received approval from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) to proceed under Article 16 of the country’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) legal framework. This permits the company to revise and resubmit project documentation to address environmental concerns without restarting the full permitting process.

    Article 16 allows for technical and environmental improvements to be submitted within 180 days, providing developers with an opportunity to respond to feedback without project rejection or significant delays. APA’s approval follows Redcorp’s formal request made during the public hearing stage of the EIA review.

    Cerrado Gold is integrating these revisions into its Optimized Feasibility Study (OFS), expected in September 2025. Planned enhancements include the complete removal of cyanide from processing operations in favor of flotation-only circuits, upgraded groundwater protections, emergency water supply planning, a real-time environmental monitoring network, and implementation of Best Available Techniques (BAT) across mine infrastructure.

    CEO Mark Brennan stated that this step demonstrates APA’s constructive and transparent approach to permitting, noting that many requested modifications are already being addressed. He added that Cerrado, in partnership with Portugal’s state-owned EDM, remains committed to developing the Lagoa Salgada Project as a benchmark for environmentally responsible mining in Europe.

    If the revised submission is accepted, a final EIA decision is expected in Q1 2026. The project is viewed as strategically important to Portugal’s mining sector and Europe’s critical raw materials supply chain.

  • Mining cannot be ‘greened’ outcry against Barosso lithium mine in Portugal

    Mining cannot be ‘greened’ outcry against Barosso lithium mine in Portugal

    Barroso, Portugal – A proposed lithium mining project in the scenic Barroso region has sparked fierce opposition from local communities and environmental advocates, who warn that the venture could inflict irreversible damage on one of Europe’s rare Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS).

    The project, led by Savannah Resources and its international partners, aims to transform an inactive feldspar and quartz concession into four expansive open-pit lithium mines, with production now projected to begin in 2027. Spanning a total concession area of 593 hectares, the mining operations threaten to disrupt a delicate agro-ecosystem that supports small-scale pastoral farming and preserves unique cultural traditions.

    Critics argue that the environmental risks far outweigh any potential economic benefits. In 2022, the Portuguese Environmental Agency (APA) rejected the initial Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), citing “very significant and irreversible negative impacts” on the landscape, water resources, and local biodiversity. Although a revised EIA was later issued under conditional approval, local authorities and community groups have mounted legal challenges, arguing that the project endangers the region’s cherished GIAHS status and undermines Portugal’s international environmental commitments.

    Residents describe a climate of intimidation surrounding the project. Opposition groups claim that the mining company has employed aggressive tactics—including 24/7 private security patrols and the deployment of the Republican National Guard—to silence dissent and pressure locals into submission. “The community is being treated as if we were criminals, with our rights and our lands under constant threat,” said a spokesperson from Associação Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso.

    Environmental experts also warn of severe ecological consequences. The project could strain local water supplies by diverting up to 600,000 m³ per year from local springs, jeopardize river habitats, and risk catastrophic failure of tailings storage facilities during extreme weather events. Moreover, the anticipated surge in greenhouse gas emissions could multiply the current carbon footprint of the municipality several times over, contradicting regional climate goals.

    Over 4,600 citizens have signed a petition opposing the mining project, and municipal bodies have passed formal resolutions condemning the plan. The controversy has also reached national parliamentary debates, highlighting broader concerns about how resource extraction projects are approved and monitored in Europe.

    As legal battles continue and protests intensify, the future of the Barroso lithium mine hangs in the balance—a stark reminder of the clash between the global demand for lithium, driven by energy transition imperatives, and the imperative to protect fragile ecosystems and traditional ways of life.

  • Green Light for Parys Mountain Mine?

    Green Light for Parys Mountain Mine?

    Anglesey Mining PLC has announced that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) scoping report for the Parys Mountain mine has been approved by the North Wales Minerals and Waste Planning Service on behalf of Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn/Anglesey county council. The council provided detailed feedback, largely agreeing with the environmental scope presented by the company.

    While there is broad acceptance of the methodology and impact assessments in areas such as ecology, biodiversity, visual impact, air quality, noise, and human health, further work is recommended in ground and surface water, cultural heritage, and traffic and transportation. Anglesey will incorporate expert advice and historical studies to refine these aspects.

    The company believes the re-commencement of mining operations will have a net positive impact on ground and surface water, based on specialist consultants’ feedback. For cultural heritage, although the proposed scheme does not directly impact statutorily designated sites, it will significantly affect the historic environment of Parys Mountain. A full transport assessment will be conducted as recommended.

    Anglesey Mining is committed to collaborating with stakeholders to minimize environmental impacts and maximize economic benefits for local communities. The CEO, Rob Marsden, expressed gratitude for the council’s feedback and reiterated the company’s objectives of providing economic returns, job opportunities, and respecting the mining heritage of Parys Mountain.

    The Parys Mountain mine, a 100% owned copper/zinc/lead/silver/gold VMS deposit in North Wales, has a reported resource of 5.3 million tonnes at over 4.0% combined base metals in the measured and indicated categories, and 10.8 million tonnes at over 2.5% combined base metals in the Inferred category.

  • Serbia and Jadar lithium mines: will the project resume?

    Serbia and Jadar lithium mines: will the project resume?

    Serbia’s Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Đedović Handanović said on Thursday that it is necessary to “responsibly consider” how to approach her country’s critical natural resources – which includes lithium – in the future.

    “If we want to develop, then we should use natural potentials, but also do everything to minimise risks, especially in the area of ​​the environment,” Minister Đedović Handanović said. “It is important that we do not look at this issue exclusively through the exploitation of mineral wealth, but also as the possibility of obtaining a value chain, which would also mean factories for the production of batteries and electric vehicles. The world is moving towards a new industrial order and it is up to us to see if we want to be part of that order, and we have all the prerequisites for that.”

    The Mining and Energy made a similar point on Tuesday: when asked about the potential exploitation of lithium in Serbia, she responded by saying that her country needs to consider how to utilise such resources in terms of closing the value chain.

    “Serbia is extremely rich in mineral resources that are also on the EU’s list of critical mineral resources. We stopped the ‘Jadar’ project before we had a chance to see the results of the Environmental Impact Assessment. We should consider how we can utilise the wealth we possess in terms of closing the value chain, which would mean factories for battery and electric vehicle production,” Minister Đedović Handanović said on Tuesday.

    The Jadar deposit is estimated to be one of the largest lithium deposits in the world, according to the think-tank Blue Europe. The Jadar mining project, located in western Serbia, had been started by British-Australian mining company Rio Tinto before the company’s license was revoked in 2022 due to environmental concerns about the project.

    However, a report by German tabloid Hadensblatt in December 2022 on a confidential list of investments under the EU’s “Global Gateway” initiative – including a lithium mine in Serbia – has led to speculations that the Jadar project may be revisited in the future.