"Brussels, after regulating abundantly, has to support projects on the ground", said the CEO of Aurora Lithium, Manuel de Sousa Martins, during the conference "Informed Conversations on Lithium in Portugal", which is taking place at the headquarters of the Order of Engineers, in Lisbon. Setúbal was the city chosen by this strategic partnership to develop the project 'Joint venture lithium conversion facility', which has an estimated investment of between 1,100 and 1,300 million euros. Aurora Lithium wants to initially have an annual production capacity of between 28,000 and 35,000 tons of lithium hydroxide for batteries. This project is expected to create 200 direct jobs in the region and 3,000 indirect jobs. "The start is scheduled for 2028. When I joined, the projected date was 2025. This is a testament to the complexity in terms of licensing and engineering", stressed Manuel de Sousa Martins. The CEO of Aurora Lithium also argued that the energy transition will not be quick, nor will it solve all the problems in terms of transport, noting that it is necessary to electrify. "The transition will be slow and arduous. There is no silver bullet here. There needs to be political will, more agile licensing and some incentive program. We see the United States program, China with its big checks and Europe cannot stand still legislating", he concluded. In turn, Humberto Costa Leite from Almina, a Portuguese mining company, based in Aljustrel, argued that it is necessary to accelerate the licensing for the opening of mines in Europe, noting that despite efforts in this direction, nothing concrete has yet been "seen". "In Europe, it is normal for a mine to take 20 years to open", he exemplified, specifying that in the last 13 years the number of mines in Portugal has remained unchanged. Read Also: Lithium? Meeting for Climate Justice in Boticas to fight against mine (Portuguese version)