Name of the Project
Jadar lithium-borates project.

Location
Near the City of Loznica, in western Serbia.

Project Owner/s
Rio Tinto.

Project Description
Jadar will be one of the biggest industrial investments in Serbia.

The project will produce battery-grade lithium carbonate, a critical mineral used in large-scale batteries for electric vehicles and in storing renewable energy, and position Rio Tinto as the biggest source of lithium supply in Europe for at least the next 15 years.

In addition, Jadar will produce borates, which are used in solar panels and wind turbines.

The Jadar development will include an underground mine with associated infrastructure and equipment, as well as electric haul trucks and a beneficiation chemical processing plant.

Following ramp-up to full production, the mine will produce about 58 000 t/y of lithium carbonate, 160 000 t/y of boric acid and 255 000 t/y of sodium sulphate, making Rio Tinto one of the top ten lithium producers in the world. Based on this yearly production of lithium carbonate, Rio Tinto aims to produce 2.3-million tonnes of lithium carbonate over the expected 40-year life-of-mine.

Potential Job Creation
The project will create 2 100 jobs during construction and 1 000 mining and processing jobs once in production.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Rio Tinto has committed $2.4-billion to the Jadar project.

Planned Start/End Date
Construction is expected to start in 2022. First saleable production is expected in 2027, with full production expected in 2029.

Latest Developments
Rio Tinto has not given up on its Jadar lithium project, after the country's prime minister ruled out a way forward for the project in January 2022.

We haven’t got it right yet on Jadar. But the reality is it’s an amazing asset. The world needs it, Serbia needs it," Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm told an investor briefing in Sydney in December 2022.

"We need to figure out how to go about it. The only thing I would say today is we haven't given up."

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic has said that she does not see a chance of reviving the project.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Rio Tinto, email media.enquiries@riotinto.com.