Boticas, Portugal, Dec. 11, 2024 (Lusa) - The Association Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso (United in Defence of Covas do Barroso) on Wednesday refused to recognise the legitimacy of the secretary of state for energy's decision to grant Savannah access to private and common land for lithium prospecting.
"On Friday 6th December, the office of the secretary of state for energy issued an order in the Diário da República [Official Gazette] granting the company the required easement. A concession of this nature authorises Savannah Resources to access the land covered and to carry out prospecting work for one year," the association warns, noting that “private land and wasteland in Covas do Barroso”, in Boticas, Vila Real district, is at stake.
In a statement, the association, which is contesting the installation of the Barroso lithium mine, scheduled to start production in 2027, "repudiates the constitution of the administrative easement", considering it to be "an unacceptable decision", and accuses the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG) of "favouring the company".
"It's a decision reminiscent of the Estado Novo Forestry Regime, which attacked local communities' access to their common lands through forced interference by the central state in their management," it said.
For the association, what is at stake is a "regression of rights and an abandonment of the achievements of 25 April [1974]".
"The prospecting work runs counter to the investment in recovery, regeneration and post-fire planning work in the wasteland," it warns.
The association also pointed out that "some of the land covered are "lameiros", i.e. permanent grazing land".
"The occupation of this land by the company seriously harms the owners, as it compromises cattle grazing and risks de-characterising the meadows to the point where they lose their status as grazing land and thus the inherent support subsidies from the European Union," it said.
For the association, the DGEG, "a state organisation expected to mediate impartially and protect rights, is once again positioning itself as an institution that serves private interests despite the local population's concerns.
"This favouring of the company in a contested project that has not been recognised as a Project of National Interest is incomprehensible," the association added.
According to the order published in the Official Gazette, the constitution of an administrative easement is valid "for one year from publication".
"The current and subsequent owners, lessees or any possessors in any capacity of the plot of land in question are obliged to respect and recognise the encumbrance constituted," the document added.
The order also stated that "the current and subsequent owners, lessees or any possessors in any capacity of the parcel of land in question are also obliged to consent to access and occupation by the concessionaire of the aforementioned parcels over which the easement falls".
At stake is "the carrying out of drilling and other related work necessary for preparing the Environmental Compliance Report for the Execution Project", it said.
The association also pointed out that these authorised operations are "part of the requirements of the Execution Project Environmental Compliance Report (RECAPE)" and are therefore "strategic for the company to be able to go ahead with its mining plan".
Thus, "Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso expressed its total disagreement with the decision of the Office of the Secretary of State for Energy and did not recognise its legitimacy".
The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) made lithium mining at the Barroso mine environmentally viable by issuing a favourable Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) in May 2023, including various conditions.
ACG/ADB // ADB.
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