Estela Silva / Lusa
The updated version of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), released this Tuesday, reveals that the Government wants to create an “industrial line” of lithium and battery manufacturing in the border areas between Portugal and Spain.
THE ECO advances this Tuesday that the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) – a document that explains how Portugal will invest European subsidies to counter the pandemic crisis – mentions a “cross-border strategic project” that will unite Portugal and Spain in the development of “a row process and product innovation, complete, that allows the good use – using green mining – for lithium in both countries, developing a cross-border project for the construction and recycling of electric car batteries ”.
In the document, the Government argues that the border with Spain is the ideal place because the “main lithium deposits” are close, as is the case of Montalegre or Boticas, for example, and because “Portugal has the ability to attract technology and companies interested in refining ”.
On the other hand, there is an “intermediate step” between refining and battery production that is still in scientific development: the manufacture of lithium cells. “INL – Instituto Ibérico de Nanotecnologia (belonging to both countries) is developing projects to create state-of-the-art cells that may soon enter the testing phase”.
Portugal and Spain also intend to invest in recycling batteries, “Still benefiting from the strong presence of the automotive industry in both countries”, going “to meet the proposal of the new regulation of batteries that defends an analysis of the complete life cycle of products”.
Although the document does not reveal the amount of money that will be invested by the two countries, the text implies that is an “additional” to what is programmed.
“In addition to this dimension programmed in the PRR, Portugal intends to participate in the opportunities that may be provided by the initiatives framed in the strengthening of the European Union’s strategic autonomy, namely, through the active presence in the multi-country partnerships that are being formed at European level ”Reads.
The 147 pages of the document now published are a summary of the hundreds that will be sent to the European Commission with the final version of the PRR and where more details about this Iberian partnership should be included.
In January, remember, the Minister of Environment and Climate Action, Matos Fernandes, reaffirmed “Really want” that Portugal will have a lithium refinery, with many municipalities already ready to receive it.
Maria Campos, ZAP //
