The calm before the storm? The making of a
Increasing global demand for high-capacity, fast-charge battery storage for rapidly decarbonising sectors such as electricity and transport
Therefore, the production of battery-grade Li-compounds in Portugal would aid the EU in lessening its dependence on external sources for this strategic metal, assisting as well in increasing the domestic supply of raw materials for battery manufacturing. Portugal has been the sole European lithium producer since 2011 (USGS 2024).
The growth of BEV production is leading to increased demand for lithium (Li), which will sharply rise in the following decades unless affordable alternatives emerge. We evaluate this demand surge and the role of Portuguese Li resources in supporting Li-ion battery needs for Portugal and the European Union (EU) BEV market.
Despite Portugal's relatively small reserve, there are parallels with controversies related to lithium mining in the much-studied Lithium Triangle of Latin America. Yet, there are also differences in terms of the social process, related to how power manifests.
The only operational (small-scale) lithium mines in Portugal feed the glass and ceramics industry. At this crucial juncture, we interrogate the emergence of a lithium frontier in this greening country: What is the human geography and social anthropology of mapped extraction sites?
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