Infinity Lithium Corporation Ltd (ASX:INF), through its wholly-owned subsidiary Extremadura New Energies, welcomes the ruling of the Contentious Administrative Court of Cáceres (CAC) ratifying the correct granting of Investigation Permit Ampliación Valdeflórez (PIAV).
The court ruling confirms that the General Urban Development Plan of Cáceres allows extraction activity and industrial development in key project areas.
Extraction activity allowed
Areas within the project tenure can facilitate the construction of a lithium hydroxide plant and portal to the lithium resource under urban planning requirements.
The decision upholds the position of both Extremadura New Energies and the Industrial, Energy and Mining Management Service of the Regional Government of Extremadura.
Industrial development
The court’s judgement has clarified the General Urban Development Plan of Cáceres that facilitates the use of certain areas within PIAV in which the urban land classification allows 'extraction activity' and the industrial development of the proposed lithium hydroxide conversion facility.
The court recently determined other areas within an adjacent area to the PIAV do not allow for extractive activity and the disturbance of the surface based on land classification under the General Urban Development Plan of Cáceres.
This decision has reinforced compliance under the General Urban Development Plan of Cáceres for Extremadura New Energies’ disturbance of the surface areas required for the decline portal within the PIAV area, adjacent to the resource area.
The company may also undertake subsurface activities to access the lithium-bearing deposit, subject to environmental and mining licences being granted following the assessment of the Exploitation Concession Application.
This confirmation reinforces the position of the company and the regional government of Extremadura.
Infinity will now further advance its submission for the lodgement of a direct exploitation concession application.
Court-ratified urban planning
Extremadura New Energies CEO Ramón Jiménez stressed that "the decision of the Cáceres court ratifies the urban planning compatibility of the work in the Valdeflórez expansion area and supports the option chosen for the exploitation concession application".
The area under the Exploration Permit Application Extremadura SE includes the total area of PIAV and other areas with the same General Urban Development Plan of Cáceres classification.
Extremadura New Energies has lodged the Exploration Permit Application Extremadura SE. application.
The Regional Government of Extremadura commenced the consultation process with the different relevant parties including the City Council of Cáceres on December 20 and these relevant parties have, according to the Spanish law, a 30-working-day period to submit their comments.
The company is awaiting the final presentation of the initial document following this process to provide the framework for the submission of the San José Lithium Project Exploitation Concession Application in alignment with Extremadura Lithium Decree Law.
The company says San José fully complies with the decree law to exploit and process lithium in the region of Extremadura.