Rio Tinto boss meets with Serbian president at WEF to discuss stalled lithium project

Rio Tinto’s boss has met the Serbian president at the World Economic Forum in Davos in a bid to revive a stalled lithium project. Jakob Stausholm met Aleksandar Vucic in talks described as difficult and robust. Serbia revoked Rio’s mining licences for the $2.4 billion Jadar lithium project in January 2022. The decision followed mass protests in which 30,000 signed a petition demanding a ban on lithium exploration in the country. If completed, the project could supply 90 per cent of Europe’s current lithium demand and help make Rio Tinto a leading lithium producer.