Press releases
Rio Tinto confirms approach to Arcadium Lithium
Rio Tinto today confirmed that it has made an approach to Arcadium Lithium regarding a potential acquisition of Arcadium Lithium by Rio Tinto.
Rio Tinto Strongly Rejects Accusations of Corruption and Election Interference
Rio Tinto strongly rejects the accusations of corruption and election interference made by the leader of the People’s Movement of Serbia earlier today.
Notification of field activities of Belgrade Archaeological Institute on parcels owned by Rio Sava
According to the Enactment on conditions for taking measures of technical protection issued by Valjevo Institute for Monument Preservation that stipulate the measures of protection of the archaeological sites located inside the potential central mine area, in order to fulfill its legal obligation and help preserve Serbian cultural heritage, the company Rio Sava Exploration has signed an agreement with Belgrade Institute of Archaeology, who received all necessary permits from competent institutions for archeological exploration at Paulje location.
EU stakeholders visit Jadar Project to assess the responsible development of critical raw materials in Europe
Rio Tinto welcomes European delegation to Jadar Valley to learn about the proposed mine’s future potential. Discussions focused on developing a safe, responsible mining industry across Europe, and building a broader European battery value chain
Rio Tinto has filed a request to establish the scope and content of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Jadar Project
Through its registered company in Serbia, "RIO SAVA EXPLORATION" d.o.o. Belgrade, Rio Tinto, as the project lead, has filed a request to establish the scope and content of the EIA for the underground mining of the Jadar lithium and boron deposit.
Rio Tinto statement regarding the “Kopacemo” website and movement
Rio Tinto has no knowledge of nor is affiliated in any way with the “Kopacemo” movement, web site and accompanying communication channels.
Rio Tinto formally requests retraction of Jadar scientific paper authored by Dragan Đorđević from Nature – Scientific Reports
Rio Tinto’s Chief Scientist and professors from the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Mining and Geology have jointly submitted a letter to the scientific journal Nature – Scientific Reports to request a correction or retraction of the paper titled “The influence of exploration activities of a potential lithium mine to the environment in Western Serbia” by Dragana Đorđević and colleagues, published on 24 July 2024.
Letter to the Editor, Nature – Scientific Reports
Dear Sir, Nature Research journals recognise the importance of post-publication commentary on published research as essential to advancing scientific discourse.
Rio Tinto’s Response on Alleged Calls for Violence on portal danas.rs
Rio Tinto strongly condemns the allegations published on August 19, 2024. in the article "An open letter from scientist Aleksandar Matković to Rio Tinto and the German Embassy" in which the author implicitly acuses the company stating "in this letter I also ask the company on whose behalf I have received deth threths several times.".
Rio Tinto’s Response on Alleged Calls for Violence on TV Nova and portal nova.rs
Rio Tinto strongly condemns the allegations published on Nova TV in the news „Dnevnik Nove“ on August 18, 2024 and on August 19, 2024. on the nova.rs portal in the article "A scientist is threatened with death after a text about lithium mining: "I receive messages in Serbian and German, mentioning the murder of my younger brother" in which the author implicitly states that „cruel messages, which he said were „new offensive of Rio Tinto“.“
Notification of Phytosanitary Inspection Conducted
As part of the Community Support Program, Rio Sava Company has granted a portion of its owned parcels, acquired from former owners, to the local community for lease without charge. This decision was made to facilitate the community's use of these parcels for agricultural purposes.
Reinstatement of the Decree on determination of the Jadar Project Spatial Plan of the Special Purpose Area (SPSPA)
Rio Tinto welcomes the decision of the Government of Serbia to reinstate the Jadar Project Spatial Plan of the Special Purpose Area (SPSPA).
Rio Tinto’s response to incorrect information about the “Jadar” Project published on the N1 portal and TV Show Novi dan
As a guest on N1 television’s Novi Dan show, which was broadcast on June 18, professor of the Faculty of Economics, Danica Popović, made a series of baseless, inflammatory statements against the “Jadar” Project. Rio Tinto explicitly denies these allegations.
Draft Environmental Impact Assessment Studies by Independent Experts indicate Jadar Project can be developed safely and comply with Serbian and EU environmental standards
Rio Tinto today voluntarily released the preliminary drafts of the Jadar Project Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies to allow the public to assess the potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures.
Rio Tinto’s Response to Misinformation Regarding the Jadar Project Published on Al Jazeera Balkans Portal
In the article titled "Lithium Mining in the Balkans: 'If It Endangers Life, What's the Talk about Development, Money, Employment,'" published by Al Jazeera Balkans on May 31st, scientifically unfounded claims were made that could mislead readers regarding the Jadar Project.
Rio Tinto’s response to inaccurate information published by Radar weekly
Radar Weekly, on 28 May 2024 in the Radar online portal, and on 30 May in the print issue, published an article titled “The Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture is threatened with removal because he protected Rio Tinto.”
Rio Tinto’s response to concealment of facts by the Radar Weekly
Radar Weekly, in the article titled "Reported activities of registered lobbyists are lobbying activities" published on May 31, 2024 on the online portal, once again deliberately misleads the public by twisting and hiding the facts.
Response of Rio Tinto to inaccurate information about the “Jadar Project” published in the weekly magazine “Radar”
The weekly magazine “Radar” published numerous falsehoods, insinuations, and serious accusations without any evidence in an article titled “Why Rio Tinto is lobbying for Serbia's EU accession: They want the headquarters to make a mistake once, but not a hundred times,” released on May 23. Rio Tinto demands the publication of facts to refute the disputed claims following the law.
Rio Tinto’s response to incorrect information about the Jadar Project presented in the daily newspaper Danas
In the article "Since the Termination of the Project, Rio Tinto Has Spent Around 250 million Euros", published on May 14, the daily newspaper Danas presented numerous falsehoods, insinuations and serious accusations without any evidence.
Rio Tinto’s response to incorrect information about the Jadar Project presented on the N1 portal
In the article "Bojana Novaković on Rio Tinto: They are also lobbying the EC, they continued at full steam, in a sinister way", published on May 13, the portal N1 presented numerous falsehoods, insinuations and serious accusations without any evidence.
Rio Tinto’s response to the attack on the field team by local activists
We strongly condemn today's reckless attack by activists from "Ne damo Jadar" against the team of company’s contract partners during their regular tour of Rio Tinto owned properties in the Jadar Valley. This incident represents the continuation of an aggressive campaign of threats, intimidation and attacks against Rio Sava employees and our contract partners based on misinformation and fake news.
Rio Tinto’s reaction to the protest and attacks in front of the Omni Center in Valjevo
With regret, we note the alarming fact that today in Valjevo, during the organization of a public dialogue on the Jadar Project, individuals, through threats, intimidation, and attacks on representatives of Rio Tinto and the present citizens of Valjevo, have obstructed free dialogue and information exchange, under the pretext of expressing the free will of citizens opposing the Jadar Project.
Rio Tinto responds to misleading article and inaccurate information on Jadar Project environmental studies
On March 14 weekly magazine NIN published the article “Mining lithium would destroy living world in Jadar”. The article quotes parts of the findings published in 2021 publication of the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts (SANU) and concludes that “opening of the Jadarite mine and processing facility would irreversibly damage living world in Jadar”.
Rio Tinto responds to fake and misleading Instagram post
An Instagram post by Jelena Stupljanin claiming Rio Tinto is responsible for poisoning two deer and one fawn in the Jadar Valley is misleading and repeating false allegations made two years ago.
Rio Tinto calls for public dialogue based on facts to address ongoing misinformation campaign
Rio Tinto is calling for industry commentators and Jadar Project opponents to have a fact-based public dialogue to avoid continuing to mislead the public. Spreading misinformation and baseless claims prevents having an informed public conversation based on facts.
Rio Tinto responds to inaccurate claims made N1 portal article titled “Opposition on the Lithium Mine: Between Crimes, Devastation, and Health Destruction.”
The N1 portal published an article this morning titled “Opposition on the Lithium Mine: Between Crimes, Devastation, and Health Destruction,” which featured opposition parties as interviewees, allegedly invited by the N1 editorial team, to comment on the opening of a lithium mine in the Jadar Valley.
Rio Tinto refutes claims made by Ljiljana Bralovic on Glas javnosti portal
Ljiljana Bralovic made several untrue claims about Rio Tinto and the Jadar Project on the Glas javnosti portal on Monday, 29 January.
Response to “Between the Lines” Television Una, interview with Nenad Kostić
In the program “Between the Lines”, Television Una, on Sunday 28 January 2024, Nenad Kostić made several false and unsubstantiated claims about the Jadar Project that Rio Sava disputes and is seeking to correct.
Response by Rio Tinto to false and inaccurate claims on N1 Television program
Mr. Dušan Vasiljević today made several false and inaccurate claims about the use of sulfuric acid, economic benefits and sustainable mining related to the Jadar Project on the N1 television programme.
Rio Sava’s response to protest in front of Information Center in Loznica
Rio Sava respects the right of Serbia’s citizens to protest peacefully in accordance with the law, however, the protest today outside the Loznica Information Centre continues a trend of activist groups spreading inaccurate, groundless claims about our company.
Rio Tinto statement in response to baseless accusations by opponents of the Jadar Project
Over the weekend opponents of the Project made several unsubstantiated and baseless accusations against Rio Tinto. The claims continue a trend of activist groups spreading inaccurate, groundless claims about our company which are then reported by select media outlets without any verification.
Statement about alleged activities of Rio Tinto in Serbia
The Ecological Uprising organisation today made several statements about the activities of Rio Tinto in Serbia related to the Jadar Project.
Public notice regarding incorrect information about the alleged activities of Rio Tinto
Contrary to recent inaccurate media reporting, Rio Tinto has never engaged in lithium exploration or project development in Portugal, either independently or through joint ventures.
Rio Sava is starting with the selective removal of building components, preserving traditional architecture elements
Loznica - Rio Sava is beginning to remove select historical architecture from abandoned buildings in the Jadar Valley as part of preparatory work to demolish the dilapidated houses and structures.
Information for the public in relation to incorrect statements of Let’s Protect Jadar and Rađevina Association
Representatives of the Let’s Protect Jadar and Rađevina Association have once again (publicly) announced a series of untruths and unfounded accusations related to Rio Sava Exploration d.o.o. (Rio Sava), our parent company Rio Tinto and the Jadar Project (the Project).
Public notice regarding incorrect information about the Project Jadar
Information has appeared in the public that links the recent changes to the Law on Planning and Construction with the plans to continue the implementation of the "Jadar" project.
Current status of the Jadar Project – Interview with Marijanti Babić
Rio Tinto’s Country Head Serbia, Marijanti Babić, in an interview with Loznički Nedeljnik, answered questions about the status of the Jadar project, and the aspirations of the company in Loznica after the Government of Serbia cancelled the Special Purpose Area Spatial Plan for the development of the Jadar deposit.
Solutions for arranging parcels owned by the company are available for inspection
The company Rio Sava Exploration will start the process of arranging the parcels in its ownership. Based on the obtained permits, land clearing and removal of houses and buildings that are no longer in use for security reasons will be undertaken.
Internal Feasibility study being completed as continuation of previous commitments
This statement is a response to the SEOS claim that Rio Tinto and Bechtel are progressing the development of the Jadar Project. Rio Tinto reiterates that it respects the Government decision earlier this year to revoke all permits and licenses for the project.
Press release
Different information appeared in the public about the Decision registering the change of ownership for plots and buildings in KO Slatina.