Boticas, Vila Real, Portugal, June 30, 2026 (Lusa) - The Boticas municipal council in northern Portugal has approved a motion, tabled by the CDU, expressing opposition to Savannah Resources’ plans to mine lithium at the Barroso site and calling for the immediate suspension of the project, it was announced on Tuesday.
The motion, entitled “Barroso’s riches belong to the people!”, was approved by a large majority on Monday evening by the municipal council, which comprises 12 members elected by the PSD, two by Chega and one by the CDU.
In the document sent to the Lusa news agency, proposed by the CDU, the municipal councillors express their opposition to the Barroso mine development project by Savannah Resources.
“In a context where concessions are determined by the interests of multinational mining companies, [we call for] the immediate suspension of the process relating to lithium mining in Covas do Barroso,” the motion further stated.
The motion will be forwarded to the prime minister, the speaker of parliament and all parliamentary groups.
The mining project was given the go-ahead by the Environment Agency, with the issuance of a conditional favourable environmental impact assessment in 2023.
The company intends to begin construction in 2027 and commence production in 2028.
The text begins by stating that “facts relating to the Barroso mine project continue to mount up, reinforcing justified concerns and continuing to provoke outrage amongst those living in the district”.
“We are talking about handing over our wealth to private groups; we are talking about processes lacking transparency; we are talking about the direct transfer of public funds to private entities; we are talking about decisions by the authorities motivated solely by an effort to support the direct interests of the private company, as is the case with the rights of way,” it adds.
In May, the ministry for the environment authorised a second administrative easement, allowing Savannah to access communal and private land for geotechnical work; this was challenged in court through an interim injunction filed by the Governing Board of the Baldios of the Parish of Covas do Barroso, which led to the suspension of prospecting activities for around 20 days.
The concessionaire announced on Monday that it can resume work after the ministry for the environment issued a Reasoned Resolution invoking the public interest of the project.
“This decision by the Government is an affront to the people of Covas do Barroso, who for years have been waging an intense struggle against the exploitation of the Barroso mine for the extraction of lithium and other minerals which, from all that is known about the process, primarily benefits foreign capital to whom the State has handed over one of Europe’s largest lithium deposits, without the slightest regard for national interests or the livelihoods of local people”, the motion further states.
This entire process, it adds, “is taking place without taking into account the interests of local residents, who have found in successive governments not a defender of the territory, but a promoter of Savannah’s interests, including through the handing over of tens of millions of euros of public funds”.
The document points out that this year, the Portuguese Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade (AICEP), acting on behalf of the State, announced the allocation of €110 million in financial support to Savannah Resources for the Barroso lithium mine.
“It’s a disgrace! It wasn’t enough to hand over our minerals; on top of that, the Portuguese State is paying – and handsomely – a private company to exploit our wealth,” it emphasises.
“With €110 million, just think of what could be done for the people of Boticas and Covas do Barroso: housing, the national health service, roads, public transport, care homes for the elderly, schools – in short, so many things that are sorely needed,” it adds.
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