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Lithium at the crossroads: geopolitical, economic, and socio-environmental complexities of the Jadar project in Serbia

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  • Vlado Vivoda

    (Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland)

  • Julia Loginova

    (Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland)

Abstract

This paper examines the security-cost-sustainability trilemma associated with undeveloped critical mineral deposits, focusing on the geopolitical dynamics, economic implications, and governance challenges surrounding Rio Tinto’s Jadar lithium-borates project in Serbia. It explores the intersection of activism, national politics, and international relations, particularly in the context of Serbia's strategic positioning between the West and China/Russia, and how these alignments influence the project’s trajectory. The paper evaluates the significance of the Jadar deposit in ensuring the European Union’s critical minerals security, while also highlighting socio-environmental concerns and disinformation campaigns that have intensified public opposition to the project’s trajectory. Applying the conceptual minerals trilemma framework, the study demonstrates the complexities of bringing sufficient volumes of critical minerals to market, in amid resistance to extraction, national governance constraints, and increasingly fragmented and contested geopolitical landscape.

Suggested Citation

  • Vlado Vivoda & Julia Loginova, 2025. "Lithium at the crossroads: geopolitical, economic, and socio-environmental complexities of the Jadar project in Serbia," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 38(3), pages 665-681, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:minecn:v:38:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s13563-025-00517-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s13563-025-00517-7
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