Nelson Gomes, a resident of Portuguese village Covas do Barosso, wakes up early to tend to his cows and vegetable garden and also to prevent London-based mining company Savannah Resources from drilling on a contested plot of land.

The mining company aims to mine the lithium-rich subsoil of the region despite a decade-long opposition by the residents. Supported by Portugal's government, the operations will answer the unquenchable need for lithium in electric vehicles and renewable energy storage solutions.

The film "Savannah and the Mountain" by Paulo Carneiro depicts the fight of the Covas do Barroso community against plans for the new lithium mines. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

The film portrays a community uniting to expel a foreign company trying to bring a lithium mine to their village, in a Wild West setting, blending fiction and reality.

European leaders are pushing to make the forgotten farming region in Portugal the largest lithium mining operation in Europe, facing fierce opposition from local residents.

Savannah Resources has been battling since 2018 for approval to open a lithium mine in Covas do Barroso, facing resistance from locals and the municipality.

The mining project faced a corruption scandal and political changes in Portugal. The film highlights the environmental and cultural impact of the proposed mining project.

Residents of Covas do Barroso are organizing to block the project, planned as the largest open-pit lithium mine in Europe, sharing work shifts and even having friendly moments with the company's workers.

Despite a lack of funding from the State Institute of Cinema, the film was made with support from Boticas municipality and the Uruguayan Film and Audiovisual Agency.

Europe and the U.S. are increasing their efforts to mine and process lithium domestically to meet clean energy goals.

Savannah's project has the potential to significantly impact the local economy and environment in the coming years. This potential is also dividing the locals. Some have sold their land to the company, supporting the mine for potential economic benefits. Differences between pro-mining and anti-mining groups in the village are leading to tensions, with continuous legal battles and protests.

Sources: Variety, liberation.fr, huffpost.com, portugalresident.com.

This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.

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Mining companies awarded blocks in Egypt's Eastern Desert are set to start exploring for gold under a legislative overhaul that seeks eventually to unlock vast untapped mineral resources.

Despite plentiful reserves and a rich mining history that gave rise to elaborate Pharaonic gold jewelry, Egypt has just one commercial gold mine in operation. Foreign investment in oil and gas has grown, but mining has languished.

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Now, the country is banking on high gold prices and amended mining laws that scrap red tape and a profit-sharing rule, unpopular in the industry, to lure interest.

One year after launching its first bid round under the new rules, it has so far clinched five gold exploration contracts in a first bidding round and kept the tendering system rolling as it tries to build momentum. The government is looking to attract $1 billion in annual investments in mining, a target industry sources say could be within reach.

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Should the company discover gold deposits in Eilat and the Roded River, the company mining for the gold, in accordance with the approval of the local planning authorities will have ownership over the gold, while 5% of its total value will be allocated to the state in the form of royalties.

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This is not the first time a license to search for gold in Eilat and the Arava region has been approved. A decade ago, two companies applied for a tender to search for gold there after the Israel Geological Survey published findings indicating there was likely a low concentration of gold in the ridges and boulders of the Arava, which are known to often contain a number of metals, including gold.

Gulliver Energy Ltd, headed by the late Mossad chief Meir Dagan, received a permit to search for hold in the Roded River a few years ago. But work at the site was eventually halted.

Gold Deposits received a three-year permit to mine for gold across an area spanning some 4,900 acres and under the jurisdiction of Eilat and the Arava. The search will require the company to coordinate with the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and local authorities.

According to Hanan Ginat, who heads the Hevel Eilot Regional Council where gold but also copper deposits have been found, "One must remember that the price of gold dictates whether it does or doesn't pay to produce gold. There is gold in the Roded River if we rely on the Geological Survey, and there are rocks that could contain gold and microorganisms, but it's all a matter of economic feasibility."

According to the Energy Ministry, assuming enough gold is discovered in the Arava region to make it worth mining, the mining company will receive a discovery certificate allowing it to mine the gold it discovers in accordance with the planning and construction committees in Israel's south.

The Arava's Timna Valley area is the site of the world's first copper mine, which dates back to ancient imperial Egypt.

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