Boticas, Portugal, Aug. 12, 2026 (Lusa) - Savannah Resources, the company seeking to mine lithium in Portugal's Boticas district, has strengthened its cooperation with local communities managing common land, thereby securing access to the land and enabling their participation in decision-making and the sharing of benefits, it was announced on Wednesday.
«These agreements speak volumes about how we want to develop this project. It is not just about securing access to the land; it is about recognising that the common lands represent decades of knowledge of the region and its challenges,» said Savannah's CEO, Emanuel Proença, in a statement.
Savannah Resources has signed an agreement with the communal land associations of the villages of Alijó, Canedo and Penalonga (municipality of Ribeira de Pena, district of Vila Real), amended the contract in force since 2020 with the Local Community of the Communal Lands of Couto de Dornelas (Boticas, in the same region) and signed a memorandum of understanding with the Secretariat of the Communal Lands of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (SBTMAD), a regional body bringing together hundreds of communal land communities.
According to the company, these agreements share three common principles, namely the participation of the communities in the project's Local Advisory and Monitoring Committee (CLCM), local reinvestment of the benefits generated, and «fair and inflation-indexed» compensation, reinforcing «a model of cooperation that goes far beyond access to the territory».
Savannah Resources expects construction of the Barroso mine to begin in 2027; the project was granted a conditional favourable Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in 2023.
In 2025, the company announced the acquisition of the Aldeia mining concession, near the Barroso lithium mine, after the presence of lithium was confirmed; this can be added to the feldspar already being mined at that concession, located between Boticas and Ribeira de Pena.
The mining project is opposed by local residents, local councillors and environmentalists, and at the weekend, the sixth edition of the ‘Camp in Defence of Barroso' took place in Covas do Barroso, with around a thousand registered participants and including a protest march through the village streets.
For Emanuel Proença, the agreements now signed show «that local communities increasingly understand the Barroso lithium project and are working together with the company to maximise the benefits for the region».
In the case of SBTMAD, the agreement provides for direct participation in the governing bodies of the Barroso Lithium Foundation, which has already been established and will have a minimum annual budget of €500,000 from the first year of operations to invest in the region.
The memorandum of understanding establishes a technical and strategic partnership for the planning, management and integrated development of an agroforestry area of around 100 hectares within the project's area of influence, owned by Savannah.
Diogo Maia, head of community relations, explained in the press release that the partnership with SBTMAD adds an «essential dimension», namely «active forest management and fire prevention, which are currently one of the greatest threats to this area».
The agreement signed with the common lands of the villages of Alijó, Canedo and Penalonga covers 150 hectares in the Serra do Pinheiro, earmarked for prospecting work and the possible future exploitation of two Aldeia mining concession blocks, and safeguards the rights of the common land holders, who retain their rights to grazing, undergrowth cutting and herbaceous crops. It also provides for the rehabilitation of all drilling platforms and wells.
Since 2020, Savannah has had a contractual relationship with the Local Community of the Communal Lands of Couto de Dornelas, regarding the use of the communal access routes and paths necessary for prospecting work.
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