Djedovic Handanovic: Serbian lithium reserves Europe's third-largest

KOPAONIK - Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said at the Kopaonik Business Forum on Tuesday Serbia's lithium reserves were the third-largest in Europe and that the country could supply as much as 20 pct of a market comprised of the EU, the UK and Norway, helping to produce around a million electric vehicles a year.

"It is up to us whether we will seize this opportunity or not," Djedovic Handanovic said, adding that lithium mining in Serbia should be in line with health and environmental protection standards, but noted that this was doable through use of advanced technologies and higher investments.

She said Serbia planned to reduce its final energy consumption by 9 pct by 2030 and produce 45 pct of its energy using renewable sources.

"Those are realistic plans. If we look at the fact the global goal is to take the share of renewables in power generation to 42 pct by 2028, I think we are very ambitious with 45 pct, but very realistic as well, and that we will be above the global average," Djedovic Handanovic said.

She said Serbia also planned to add 3.4 GW of green energy by 2030 through investments by the public and private sectors alike.