Photo: Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto’s Chief Executive Officer Jakob Stausholm visited western Serbia to personally convince locals and top government officials that the Jadar project for a lithium mine and processing unit is safe. He read out six commitments at a public meeting in the small town of Ljubovija.
After several years of controversies regarding Rio Tinto’s Jadar project in Serbia, two waves of massive protests, a government ban and its recent annulment, CEO Jakob Stausholm personally entered the debate.
He joined President Aleksandar Vučić, who toured western Serbia last week, aiming to discuss the issue with the local population. Most of the people in the region are openly distrustful of the project. It entails a lithium mine, processing unit and landfilling. Stausholm participated in one of the public meetings, in the town of Ljubovija. It is more than 60 kilometers away from the location of the planned mine.
In addition to the people in western Serbia and environmentalists, citizens throughout the country are concerned about a possible negative impact on the environment, public health and agricultural production, the dominant activity for the inhabitants of the affected area.
Rio Tinto is very good at learning from mistakes and not repeating them
The presence of Stausholm in Ljubovija highlights the importance of the Jadar investment for the company, which earmarked USD 2.4 billion for the endeavor in 2021. It would be its first lithium mining and processing complex.
“Rio Tinto is very good at learning from our mistakes and not repeating them,” the CEO said.
He acknowledged at the gathering, also attended by Serbia’s president and a group of ministers, that the company still didn’t win the trust of everyone in Serbia. Stausholm highlighted it as one of the reasons that he decided to come.
“Firstly, I commit to you that I hold every leader at Rio Tinto, every manager, employee, or contractor working on the Jadar project accountable for building and operating a modern underground mine that is safe for all Serbian people and the environment,” he stressed.
People must never live in fear
Stausholm’s second promise is that the thousands of Rio Tinto employees and contractors who build and operate the safe underground mine would live in Loznica, eat local food, drink local water, breathe local air and respect the local community.
“Third, I commit to you that we welcome and encourage independent and responsible community-led monitoring of all aspects of our development, construction and operation, starting now,” he stated.
The company’s team will participate in transparent, expert-led fact-based dialogue, the CEO claims
The Rio team in Serbia will openly and honestly engage with all Serbian people, according to the company’s chief. They’ll listen to genuine concerns and provide factual answers to all questions, Stausholm added. They will participate in transparent, expert-led fact-based dialogue, he claimed.
“Fifth, I commit to you that when we make a mistake, we will admit it, we will fix it, we will learn from it, and we will not repeat it. Sixth and final, I commit to you that the Rio Tinto team in Serbia will never stop working to earn and retain your trust. Each of you, your children and their children to come must never live in fear that a new underground mine will cause harm,” Stausholm underscored.
Stausholm: Additional EUR 100 million earmarked to dry tailings
During the discussion with citizens, Rio Tinto’s head denied that the lithium mining and processing complex would use river water, saying it would draw it from lower aquifers. The water is intended for washing the ore body and for steam processing, in his words. Stausholm added that 70% of it would be recirculated in the processing plant.
All discharge water will be treated, according to Stausholm. The consumption will be equivalent to 5% of consumption in Loznica or 0.00007% of the Drina river flow, he asserted.
The company will dispose of half of the tailings back underground, according to Stausholm
Rio Tinto decided to invest an additional EUR 100 million to extract water from the landfill, the chief executive said. It will be the world’s first lithium mine with a landfill that wouldn’t contain wet tailings, Stausholm pointed out. The company will dispose of half of the material back underground, and a part of the remainder can be used in road construction, he claimed.
Commenting on the concerns regarding wastewater management, the use of sulphuric acid and the landfilling proposal, Stausholm offered his assurances to Vučić that there would be no air, land or water pollution from the three sources. Agricultural activity around the mine will be like anywhere else, in the CEO’s view.
Stausholm joined Rio Tinto in September 2018 as executive director and chief financial officer. He assumed the current position in January 2021.
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