The British company Rio Tinto will suspend its controversial lithium mine project in western Serbia, the British newspaper The Guardian reported, citing Vesna Prodanovic, chief executive of Serbia's Rio Tinto division.
The mining company planned to develop a mine near Loznica in western Serbia in the Yadar River Valley to extract lithium used in electric car batteries and borates used in solar panels and wind turbines.
In recent weeks, protesters have taken to the streets and blocked roads across Serbia, urging authorities to suspend the project, which has worried the ruling coalition loyal to President Aleksandar Vucic ahead of the April elections. The company's $ 2.4 billion project is part of the Serbian government's efforts to attract more investment and generate economic growth.
Last week, the Loznitsa municipal council canceled the provision of land for the mine. A report by the Serbian news agency Beta quoted Vesna Prodanovic, chief executive of Rio Tinto's local subsidiary, as saying the project would be halted. "We want to call for public dialogue to acquaint residents with all aspects of our project.
"It is extremely difficult in such an intensive anti-mine and negative campaign to have a reasonable debate on any topic.
Prodanovic said Rio Tinto plans to "review and possibly improve" the technical solutions it wants to use for the mine. Earlier this year, the company said any development would meet all domestic and European environmental standards. But opponents say the mine would cause irreparable damage.
Vucic himself has repeatedly said that the discovery of the mine will depend on the outcome of an environmental study and a referendum on it.
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