Environment Minister Duarte Cordeiro this Monday guaranteed that the lithium mine projects in Boticas and Montalegre in the district of Vila Real comply with the law.
“In our opinion, all the steps required by law were followed at the lithium mines. (…) For the good of our country, it is important to distinguish the moment of investigation from the conclusions that everyone wants to rush to” This was stated by a government official in response to a deputy from the socialist democrats Hugo Oliveira in the Assembly of the Republic as part of the discussion of the draft state budget for 2024.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa resigned last week after learning he had been cited in wiretaps by those involved in a State Ministry investigation into Sines’ lithium, hydrogen and data center businesses.
“No one feels more disappointed than we do because of the episodes that occurred last week and prevented the development of the program and projects that we had planned for the country,” continued Duarte Cordeiro.
The Ministry of Environment was one of the places where PSP carried out searches on Tuesday.
In his initial speech in the debate this Monday, Duarte Cordeiro stressed that the investment intentions of the project in the areas of exploration and research, mining, processing and battery production within the lithium value chain that the government wanted to develop have already been realized. more than 9 billion euros were represented and more than 8,000 direct jobs were created.
The official also stressed that Portugal has the eighth-largest lithium reserves in the world and the first in Europe and that it is a “crucial material” for the energy transition.
The concession contract for lithium exploration in Montalegre, Vila Real, between the state and Lusorecursos Portugal Lithium caused controversy in 2019, one of the reasons for which was the creation of the company three days before signing.
This is a contract approved by João Galamba on March 26, 2019, when he was Secretary of State for Energy, in the team of then Environment Minister João Pedro Matos Fernandes.
The then PSD leader Rui Rio believed that the deal between the state and Lusorecursos smelt of “disorder.”
“This company, with a registered capital of 50 thousand euros, was created three days before the signing of an exploration contract that commits the state for a period of 20 years (35 with extension) and implies a potential business worth about 380 million euros,” the PSD parliamentary group warned at the time.
A few days later, in the program Prós e Contras RTP, João Galamba stated that the government was forced to grant the lithium exploration concession in Montalegre to Lusorecursos Portugal Lithium in accordance with the law in force at the time.
Galamba explained that in 2012, the company signed a contract with the government then led by Passos Coelho, which stipulated that after a period of exploration and research, it could apply for a concession.
“Any government always has to deal with decisions made by the previous government,” the secretary of state defended. “We were forced to make a concession [da exploração de lítio em Montalegre à Lusorecursos]”, he added, referring to Decree-Law 88/90, which determines that “a company engaged in exploration and research has the right to request exploration.”
João Galamba also explained that his only action as responsible for the energy portfolio was to sign an order in March 2019 to “guarantee a significant strengthening of environmental controls.” […] at the stage of search and research.”
At a parliamentary hearing on November 27, João Galamba also said that he would “commit a crime” if he canceled the order approving the lithium research and exploration concession at Montalegre, as requested.
“You cannot interrupt an administrative process that is taking place in accordance with the law because someone says: ‘There’s a problem,’” the official defended.
And he guaranteed: “We did not choose Lusorecursos, we did not choose the company that Lusorecursos indicated, we limited ourselves to recognizing the rights that this company acquired in 2012.”
Author: Diogo Carreira This Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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