Infinity Lithium Corporation Ltd has kicked off its mining licence and environmental permitting process, setting the stage for production at the San José Lithium Project in Extremadura, Spain.
The lithium stock has submitted an initial paper to Extremadura’s General Directorates of Industry, Energy and Mines and Sustainability, petitioning the regional government bodies for a mining licence and an environmental impact assessment (EIA) application.
While this is just the first step in the project’s permitting journey, the paper sparks a collaboration between authorities and Infinity as they nail down the best location for an industrial lithium conversion facility.
The submission comes soon after the Extremadura regional government ratified a decree-law early last month, fast-tracking any admin work tied to project processing.
Big-picture, this move validates Extremadura’s lithium potential and underpins the important role the region has to play in the wider battery sector.
San José snapshot
Infinity’s proposal covers an underground-only lithium mining operation, outlined in a scoping study from October last year.
It includes detail on extraction, processing and optionality on the possible locations of a fully integrated industrial lithium conversion facility — all in a bid to align the project to local and regional stakeholders through consultation.
Moreover, this initial document is designed to petition the government’s environmental arm to create an environmental impact assessment scoping document (EISA), which precedes the ordinary EIA permitting process.
Infinity subsidiary Extremadura New Energies should receive the EISA within three months of submission, paving the way for the next round of permitting applications.
Recently, Infinity finalised a key payment to its joint venture partner and has now assumed administrative control of the San José Lithium Project.
Engaging with all levels of government
Ultimately, the initial paper is the brainchild of a broader collaboration between the regional government of Extremadura, the Cáceres local government and Extremadura New Energies.
Speaking to the paper’s submission, City of Cáceres Mayor Luis Salaya this was good news, representing what was asked of the company from all sides.
Extremadura New Energies CEO Ramón Jiménez said Infinity’s initial document maximised transparency and engagement with the locality of Cáceres while providing an opportunity to accelerate the formal administrative process.
“This scope document for the environmental impact study will incorporate the evaluations and indications from the technical assessment of the project and respond to everything that both the residents of Cáceres and the administrations have told us in terms of environmental sustainability,” he said.
Key decree
Ininfity’s submission comes amid an important legislative backdrop: the Regional Government of Extremadura recently ratified Lithium Decree-Law 5/2022 in the Regional Assembly.
While the decree is designed to align the transformation of lithium resources in the region, the declaration also accelerates administrative processing, access to public funding and categorises projects of regional interest) to facilitate any expropriations that may be required.
Commenting on the decree, Minister of Ecological Transition and Sustainability Olga Garcia said: “This important productive activity will enjoy the benefits in terms of reduced administrative timeframes that come with its declaration as a business project of regional interest.
“The use of Extremadura's lithium territory is a priority to densify our productive fabric through the establishment in the region of industrial facilities that contribute to improving employment levels in the rural areas where they are located.”
The President of Extremadura, Guillermo Fernández Vara, also noted the significance of the decree for the region.
“I only have one priority above all others, which is the prosperity of the people… I am looking for a decent life for the people, that they can have a decent job, a decent salary, that they can own their own home. … and, above all, that the natural resources around us, if the laws are complied with, can be used, so that people can have a better life,” he stated.