Member Info for init2oneit

Https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/1034996/chinese-ties-could-hinder-australian-lithium-miners-from-accessing-us-subsidies-1034996.html

Can see a bun fight developing for supplies and protective measures.

https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/us-targets-china-s-involvement-in-australian-critical-minerals-20231204-p5eou1

Industry news On partnerships

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-05/investors-are-seeing-past-75-lithium-plunge-chile-s-enami-says

Https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/04/europe-miles-behind-race-raw-materials-electric-car-batteries-lithium-cobalt-nickel

IB there seems to be a certain Aussie connection building

. Various minor optimisations are being made at the Project to implement the latest learnings from the Australia lithium industry.

And

"Savannah's technical team and our consultants, composed of highly skilled and experienced professionals out of Portugal and Western Australia, are extremely busy advancing the multiple workstreams on the Project.

The in person as well as online presentation due New Year sometime is also encouraging. Recent ones have been online, could there be a slim chance a Partner could be unveiled at this time. In person presentation is means a more organisation of venue etc and I would have thought more in line with something more important to say. Who knows. Let’s see

Response SP wise. We’ve been marked down for what looks like no reason. Business as usual, so will some buying now push it back up again.

Yep, let’s see how the market responds

Doesn’t sound like a man on the ropes mired in scandal but guess the Election result in March will determine that. He’s addressed COP28 with quite a healthy punch of objectives. I guess we need to hear something from SAV all quite on the Western Front at the moment and as said no news is good news. GL all, another Tuesday newsletter due this week. Will we hear anything new or just a recap of industry news ?

https://www.portugalbusinessesnews.com/post/there-is-no-humanity-b

Got to have the batteries first

https://www.portugalbusinessesnews.com/post/iberdrola-bp-invest-eur-1-billion-in-charging-points-on-the-iberian-peninsula

Goes back to Sep but shows what is at stake for the EU

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/14/eu-diversify-materials-car-battery-solar-panels-vote-parliament

Life goes on

https://www.portugalbusinessesnews.com/post/portugal-s-green-hydrogen-pipeline-will-be-funded-by-the-eu

All the attention is in Oz right now but Barroso is too important for Portugal and in turn the EU for it to just disintegrate into dust over what would appear to be non existent corruption. Or indeed to allow some local farmers to disrupt progress. So far cannot see any news

of this local action group proceeding with any court action but undoubtedly the Co have their lawyers ready. It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall at Barrenjoeys and Barclays to see if this has had any effect on their sifting through potential partners. With Barrenjoeys onboard we should certainly benefit from the Oz exposure.

https://www.ft.com/content/ce18cc79-b501-440e-a12a-1473fd85d88e

A tightly held position of more than 25% will avoid any cheap sell out. Be patient.

Operation Influencer did not lock the Lithium project in Boticas. Process continues to advance to the execution phase

Henrique Magalhães Claudino

Nov 17, 07:00

Mina do Barroso, Boticas

Directorate-General for Energy and Geology confirms the progress of the process and says that the company is preparing a strategic document. At the same time, the City Council of Boticas said that it will advance until the end of the month with an action to challenge the project

The lithium exploration project in the Barroso Mine, in Boticas, by the company Savannah Resources, one of the businesses under investigation by the Public Prosecutor's Office during Operation Influencer, has not had any setback since the investigation was known and is advancing to the execution phase, said a source from the Directorate of Energy and Geology (DGEG) to CNN Portugal, while the Municipality of Boticas is preparing to finalise an action that it will present in court to stop the entire process.

After receiving a conditional favourable Environmental Impact declaration from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) in May 2023, the company entered one of the last phases before starting to build and mine, a goal that Savannah Resources intends to achieve by 2026.

The "green light" given by the APA is one of the lines of investigation of the Public Prosecutor's Office during the operation that would eventually lead to the resignation of the Prime Minister last week.

In the records, to which CNN Portugal had access, suspicions are described that Nuno Lacasta and José Pimenta Machado, respectively president and vice-president of APA "concerted with the suspects João Barros and Diogo Silveira", the latter "personal friend" of Lacasta, the issuance of the Environmental Impact Declaration, "ensuring them to do so before the end of the deadline granted for the public consultation and not even analyse the various contributions received in this context". João Barros is the manager of Savannah Lithium Portugal and Diogo Silveira is an independent non-executive director of Savannah Resources.

" Privileged access" and "illegitimate benefits"

The Public Prosecutor's Office indicates that, between June 2022 and May 2023, “there were negotiations between Savannah, the City Council of Boticas and the suspect João Galamba”, related to an alleged offer to build a road worth 20 million euros, which will have served “as compensation for the City Council not to oppose the exploitation of lithium”. "It is found that Savannah officials had, at this stage, privileged access to APA officials, DGEG and the offices of the Ministers of Environment and Infrastructure to obtain illegitimate benefits".

At the same time, confirmed the mayor of Boticas, the council executive is finalising an action to challenge the lithium extraction operation in the Barroso mine that should be delivered to the court later this month. This final document will include traces of the Public

Operação Influencer não travou projeto do Lítio em Boticas. Processo continua a avançar para fase de execução

Henrique Magalhães Claudino

17 nov, 07:00

Mina do Barroso, Boticas

Direção-Geral de Energia e Geologia confirma andamento do processo e diz que empresa está a preparar documento estratégico. Ao mesmo tempo, a Câmara Municipal de Boticas adiantou que vai avançar até ao final do mês com uma ação de impugnação ao projeto

O projeto de exploração de lítio na Mina do Barroso, em Boticas, pela empresa Savannah Resources, um dos negócios em investigação pelo Ministério Público durante a Operação Influencer, não teve qualquer retrocesso desde que foi conhecida a investigação e está a avançar para a fase de execução, adiantou fonte da Direção de Energia e Geologia (DGEG) à CNN Portugal, enquanto o Município de Boticas se prepara para finalizar uma ação que irá apresentar em tribunal para travar todo o processo.

Depois de ter recebido da Agência Portuguesa de Ambiente (APA), em maio de 2023, uma declaração de Impacte Ambiental favorável condicionada, a empresa entrou numa das últimas fases antes de começar a construir e a minerar, uma meta que a Savannah Resources pretende atingir até 2026.

A “luz verde” dada pela APA é uma das linhas de investigação do Ministério Público no decurso da operação que acabaria por levar à demissão do primeiro-ministro na semana passada.

Nos autos, a que a CNN Portugal teve acesso, são descritas suspeitas de que Nuno Lacasta e José Pimenta Machado, respetivamente presidente e vice-presidente da APA “concertaram com os suspeitos João Barros e Diogo Silveira”, este último “amigo pessoal” de Lacasta, a emissão da Declaração de Impacte Ambiental, “garantindo-lhes tal antes do final do prazo concedido para a consulta pública e de sequer analisarem os diversos contributos recebidos nesse âmbito”. João Barros é gerente da Savannah Lithium Portugal e Diogo Silveira é diretor não executivo independente da Savannah Resources.

"Acesso privilegiado" e "benefícios ilegítimos"

Indica o Ministério Público que, entre junho de 2022 e maio de 2023, “existiram negociações entre a Savannah, a Câmara Municipal de Boticas e o suspeito João Galamba”, relacionadas com uma alegada oferta de construção de uma estrada no valor de 20 milhões de euros, que terá servido “de compensação para a Câmara Municipal não se opor à exploração do lítio”. “Verificando-se que os responsáveis da Savannah tiveram, nesta fase, acesso privilegiado aos responsáveis da APA, à DGEG e aos gabinetes dos ministros do Ambiente e das Infraestruturas para obterem benefícios ilegítimos”.

Paralelamente, confirmou o presidente da Câmara de Boticas, o executivo camarário está a ultimar uma ação de impugnação à operação de extração de lítio na mina do Barroso que deverá ser entregue no tribunal ainda este mês.

Https://cnnportugal.iol.pt/crise-politica/operacao-influencer/operacao-influencer-nao-travou-projeto-do-litio-em-boticas-processo-continua-a-avancar-para-fase-de-execucao/20231117/65564439d34e371fc0b9f150

The project for the Barroso mine in Boticas was not affected by the investigations and is advancing towards the execution phase.[31]

Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Influencer

Actually the article proves quite reassuring that the Co carries on as per their last communication on the day the supposed ‘scandal’ broke.

Just the local tree huggers. No mention from the Co yet

Anything of major consequence will need to be notified

https://portugal.postsen.com/local/416077/People-of-Covas-do-Barroso-accuse-company-of-forcibly-entering-land.html