The Ministry of Environmental Protection of Serbia has issued a resolution defining the scope and content of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study for the mining component of Rio Tinto’s “Jadar” project. The resolution concerns the international mining company’s planned lithium mine in the Jadar river valley in western Serbia. The Ministry said the document is published on its website.
EIA requirements for cumulative impacts and mitigation measures
Under the resolution, Rio Tinto is required to present in detail all potential cumulative environmental impacts of the project within the EIA. For each identified potential impact, the company must provide measures to mitigate those effects and include monitoring systems. The Ministry also requires a detailed explanation of how best available technologies and techniques will be applied.
The EIA must be prepared based on the main mining project and developed in line with best practices established by the European Union. The Ministry described the resolution as containing strict requirements for creating the EIA for this part of the project. It also stated that public comments and opinions submitted during the consultation process were thoroughly analyzed when drafting the resolution.
Submission timeline and public availability of the resolution
The Ministry said the resolution was prepared at the request of the company. It added that the document will be made available to the public within the next eight days. Rio Tinto has one year to submit the EIA to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
The Ministry stated that the EIA document will also be available through a public consultation procedure. Environmental activists and some citizens oppose opening the lithium mine, citing concerns about environmental impacts, and have held protests.
Company statements and expert warnings on environmental effects
Rio Tinto previously said, in a response to Radio Free Europe, that domestic and international experts confirmed the “Jadar” project can be carried out safely and according to high environmental protection standards. The company’s statement referenced expert confirmation regarding safe implementation.
At the same time, many experts, both domestically and internationally, warn that lithium extraction leads to environmental consequences. They specifically cite risks related to river basin impacts and soil pollution.