"Portuguese prosecutors seek to annul environment permit for Savannah lithium mine," 08 Feb 2024

Portuguese prosecutors have asked a judge to annul an environment permit for a lithium mining project being developed by London-based Savannah Resources (SAVS.L)...

The document... upheld a lawsuit filed by a municipality in northern Portugal that sought to block Savannah from developing... [the] lithium mine.

...Portugal's environmental agency APA gave environmental approval... for Savannah Resources to develop a mine in Boticas... a world heritage site for agriculture since 2018.

The Prosecutor's Office requested... [to] annul the environmental approval of the Boticas mine as it "suffers from the defect of violating the law", citing risks "known" to APA that the mine could endanger the heritage site and Portugal's international commitments.

It also said that APA had failed to correctly assess mining waste management needs or water contamination risks, and did not consider the real joint impact from the Savannah mine and another mine being developed by Portuguese mining company Lusorecursos to extract battery-grade lithium in Montalegre...

APA did not reply to a Reuters request for comment.

Savannah said it was "ready to address the concerns" of the prosecutors and cited advice from its lawyers "that the lawsuit is without foundation" and does not impact the project's activities.

Savannah said in January that after a full legal assessment which included due diligence by independent experts of relevant accounts, facts and documents, "Savannah can confidently reaffirm its solid legal standing."