The regional government of Extremadura, Spain, has awarded Premia status to Infinity Lithium’s San José, streamlining the permitting process for the lithium venture.
The ASX-listed company’s project is now recognised as one of regional and general interest, expediting its progression through governmental channels.
The Premia status will prioritise and accelerate the exploitation concession application, ensuring faster administrative processing across all relevant departments. Further, this status grants expropriatory powers, facilitating the construction of access roads, power lines and supply pipelines essential for the project’s development.
Extremadura’s government also emphasised additional advantages of the Premia status, such as subsidies for employment and the declaration of public utility or social interest.
"The award of Premia status to San José highlights the exceptional standing of the project within a proactive government currently courting investment on downstream lithium-ion battery value chain initiatives,” stated Infinity MD and CEO Ryan Parkin.
“San José is a critical and strategically significant project for both Extremadura and the EU, and the foundation of regional ambitions through one of Europe’s largest lithium resources. The ability to fast-track the permitting administrative processes is clearly beneficial and a major endorsement for the project.”
The declaration of the successful Stage 1 approval of a viable lithium resource at San Jose has been followed by the subsequent submission of Stage 2 project documentation.
The fully integrated industrial project is focused on the production of battery grade lithium chemicals from a mica feedstock that represents the EU’s second-largest Joint Ore Reserves Committee-compliant hard rock lithium deposit.