Czechia: The Dilemmas Of The Largest European Lithium Reserve

In the vicinity of the town of Cinovec, in the border region between Czechia and Germany, It is between three and five percent of the world’s lithium reserves. It is, therefore, the largest deposit in Europe.

Lithium is a light material that has become very relevant in recent years, especially for the manufacture of storage batteries, essential for the energy transition and electromobility.

Given the increase in lithium prices worldwide, its extraction represents a great opportunity for the Czech Republic.

Strategic investment for the future

According to the Czech Chamber of Commerce, the country’s sources of growth have dried up, and that could lead to economic stagnation in the coming years.

For this reason, the Czech Government of the Prime Minister, Petr Fiala included the extraction and processing of lithium among the strategic investment areas for the future.

“Lithium is a key raw material for electromobility, especially for battery storage. That is why we are working to start extraction as soon as possible, ideally in 2026,” Fiala said.

Up to one million batteries per year

Explorations in 2010 showed that the quantities of lithium in the area were significant. According to a feasibility study, the company could extract 2.25 million tons of the mineral, which would produce almost 30,000 tons of lithium hydroxide, which should be enough to produce almost one million car batteries per year.

Fiala hopes that the country can “cover the entire chain, from mining, processing, battery production, chip manufacturing to the final production of cars.”

Lignite leaves, lithium enters

The Usti region, where Cinovec is located, is one of the poorest in the Czech Republic. The extraction of a mineral coal called lignite ended in the 1990s and left thousands of inhabitants without work, which brought with it structural problems. The new mining project would provide work for thousands of inhabitants of the region.

Jan Schiller, governor of the regional district and member of the opposition party ANO, told DW that he supports the extraction: “I see the possibility of extracting lithium as an opportunity. But a lot depends on the framework conditions that are negotiated before exploitation.”

“Any impairment and deterioration in living conditions must also be adequately compensated to the communities,” he adds.

Opposition to the project

However, some warn that it is difficult for the inhabitants of Usti to get excited about mining: “I think lithium is not the right path. If we want to change the region and give it a new future, we have to opt for a fundamental change,” Michal Kolecko, professor at the Jan Evangelista Prukyne University in Usti nad Labem, told DW.

“We have to focus on areas that have potential and not only give the region an economic future, but also change the social composition and educational level of the population,” he emphasizes.

Fear of environmental damage

The project generates concern among some residents of the area. For example, they fear that water supply and air quality will be affected. The lithium will not be extracted in brine, but in solid rock, a method that requires more water and energy, making it more expensive.

The experience in the “lithium triangle” that makes up Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, where about 70 percent of the world’s reserves are located, has shown that the mining of this material has an environmental impact. In that area, in some cases, the water, air and soil were contaminated due to the mismanagement of the mining companies. (ms/ju)