Boticas, Portugal, May 6, 2026 (Lusa) – The Portuguese government has authorised the establishment of an administrative easement for 24 plots of land in Boticas, granting Savannah Resources access to private properties for work relating to the Barroso lithium mine, it was announced on Wednesday.
An order published today in the official government gazette (DR), signed by the Deputy Secretary of State for Energy, Jean Paulo Gil Barroca, states that the Government has determined that the establishment of the administrative easement is in the public interest, for a period of one year from the date of administrative possession, pursuant to paragraph 5, covering 24 plots.
Savannah wishes to mine lithium in the Covas do Barroso area, in the north of the Vila Real region, but the mine is opposed by local residents, local authorities and environmentalists.
The ministry for the environment had already authorised an initial easement in December 2024, which led to the filing of an injunction by landowners, resulting in the suspension of prospecting work for 15 days in February 2025.
This new authorisation grants the company access to private and common land for the purpose of carrying out geotechnical works as part of the Barroso lithium project.
The company stated in a press release that this administrative easement process, now approved, allows Savannah Resources to complete its geotechnical works plan, ensuring immediate access to land within the mining concession area that it does not yet own.
This work aims, it added, to optimise knowledge of the land and foundations on which the processing plant and other infrastructure necessary for the next phases of the project will be built.
"This is another step forward in the development of the Barroso lithium project. We have been expecting this for some time and it is a perfectly natural process in the development of any industrial project," said Savannah’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Emanuel Proença, quoted in the statement.
The company explained that this was a process "which took some time" and forced it to postpone some deadlines it had hoped to bring forward.
"But now that the administrative easement has finally been approved, our focus is on carrying out the geotechnical work professionally, as we have always done," emphasised Emanuel Proença, anticipating opposition from those opposed to the mining operation in Covas do Barroso.
The concessionaire also stated that, as with the process relating to the administrative easement approved in 2024, it will now proceed “to contact all stakeholders and landowners with a view to paying the compensation due, as well as continuing close contact with the relevant authorities to ensure a transparent and efficient process”.
According to the order published in the Official Gazette, the compensation due to property owners for the establishment of the administrative easement will be borne by the concessionaire Once the approved works have been completed or the scheduled deadline has passed, the concessionaire must remove the installations or structures erected, ensure the proper treatment of the waste produced and carry out landscape restoration of the occupied area, in accordance with the works programme and the approved mining plan.
For Savannah, this development also permits the “resumption of recruiting new staff and contracting local services”.
It also stated that, in the first phase, the work to be carried out will focus on clearing and preparing the land, followed by a second phase involving drilling of geotechnical boreholes and test pits, all of which are considered to be shallow and low-impact operations.
The mining project was approved by the Portuguese Environment Agency, which issued a conditional favourable Environmental Impact Statement in 2023.
PLI/RYOL // AYLS
Lusa
