Spain’s lithium mining plans face resistance on the ground
Not a warm welcome for the glam-clad guests arriving for the Cáceres Spanish Film Festival. “No to the mine! Yes to life!” a few hundred protesters chant, lining up on both sides of the street leading to the Grand Theatre. “Cáceres is not for sale!” They scream. “The shame!”
How did a local film festival get involved in a mining dispute? It all has to do with a sponsor of the event, Extremadura New Energies, the company that intends to produce 467,000 tons of lithium hydroxide for batteries over 26 years, mining the land a few kilometers from the theater. The company hopes that such foundation-funded gestures will convince the community of its honorable intentions. Mine activists at Plataforma Salve Cáceres see this as a cheap ploy.
Cáceres is a sleepy town of 100,000, popular with tourists for its UNESCO-recognized Old Town. It is located in the poorest region of Spain – rural and often neglected Extremadura, on the Portuguese border. About six years ago, it also joined the growing list of European communities engaged in a geopolitically charged race for global resources.
Race for ‘white gold’ reaches Europe
Lithium is a metal used in high-performance batteries, essential for carbon-reducing technologies such as solar panels and electric vehicles, as well as smartphones and laptops. Australia, Chile and China are the world’s largest producers, with 90% of the market, according to data from the World Economic Forum. Its extraction, particularly in the salt flats of South America, has been linked to environmental degradation, water scarcity and – in Bolivia – strong political reaction.
In recent years, the EU has taken steps to lessen its dependence on imports of so-called critical materials needed to future-proof technology, in part by stepping up domestic mining of materials such as lithium.
Source: DW
Lori Barajas is an accomplished journalist, known for her insightful and thought-provoking writing on economy. She currently works as a writer at 247 news reel. With a passion for understanding the economy, Lori’s writing delves deep into the financial issues that matter most, providing readers with a unique perspective on current events.