MINING SECTOR 2021
INTERVIEW
VESNA PRODANOVIĆ, GENERAL MANAGER OF RIO SAVA EXPLORATION D.O.O.
Jadar Project – Development
OPPORTUNITY FOR SERBIA Rio Tinto has been responsibly developing “Jadar” for a full 17 years through the various stages of planning, design and approvals. We are committed to partnership, with the Government of Serbia, the local government and our communities. We have a joint commitment to responsible mining and operating to the highest environmental standards. of lithium and also boron. However, in order for us to develop that potential in the right way and achieve the best results, it is necessary to make a long-term commitment, work in real partnership, and leverage global expertise, in order to continue our progress from exploration, surveys and studies to developing this project.
The processing of jadarite will be performed in a modern industrial plant, using a unique, innovative and stable technology
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ur goal is to develop the project hand in hand caring for and preserving the environment, says Vesna Prodanović, who approaches the further development of Jadar with a great personal motivation and tenacity to build something of great value to both Serbia and the world. I t sounds really unbelievable that one of the world’s most important lithium deposits is located in Jadar... If that is indeed the case, then we aren’t even aware of how great a chance this represents for the economic development of Serbia as a whole... Lithium is increasingly called the material of the future, because it has a huge role to play in the further development of modern society. The development of modern lithium-ion batteries represents a genuine revolution in energy use, not only in terms of Electric Vehicles and the supporting industries, but also because of its use in the devices that we use on a daily basis, such as phones and laptops. I think we are becoming aware of how great the potential is for Serbia, considering that we have one of the world’s most important deposits 26
hat are your employment plans like, given that we know that W more than 2,100 workers will be engaged during the phase of constructing the mine and processing plant? The most valuable assets of our company are our people, and we understand that the success we achieve is linked directly to the abilities and engagement of our employees. That’s why the development of knowledge and skills is a priority for us. We are highly appreciative of the fact that Serbia’s education system and work ethic are very strong, which gives us a distinct advantage while we work on the development of employment plans and strategies for future skills and roles, from construction through operation. Jadar is planned as a mine of the future, using cutting-edge technology. The project will need a wide range of new skills and produce products key to a low carbon future. We already have a team of talented, highly-educated Serbian experts who are working on the project. We are working towards maintaining 90% of future employees also being from Serbia, as is the case today. We need not only miners and chemical engineers, also innovators, entrepreneurs and talented youth with passion and vision. That’s why we’re planning partnerships with universities, secondary schools and adult education systems. We will try to demonstrate, with our own example, what modern and sustainable mining in the 21st century looks like. In order for us to support our current and future employees, we will develop training programmes for the unique skills and specific domains we will require, using state-of-the-art training methods and equipment, including AR/VR and process simulators.
