The miner said new mineralised pegmatites have been identified at the western end of the C-100 licence, providing additional targets for follow-up work.
In addition, extensions to known lithium mineralisation at Carvalha da Baccora and Altos dos Cortiços have been confirmed, increasing the potential of these areas.
The company said significant lithium mineralisation from rock chip samples includes:
- Carvalha da Baccora: 1.66% Li₂O, 1.5% Li₂O, 1.75% Li₂O, 1.46% Li₂O
- Alto dos Cortiços: 3.01% Li₂O, 1.9% Li₂O
First output projected for 2027
Savannah plans to construct four open-pit mines in the region to produce enough lithium annually for 500,000 to 1 million electric vehicle batteries. The company aims to accelerate the project, targeting the first commercial output by 2027.
“The results from the surface exploration our team undertook are truly exciting,” said Emanuel Proenca, Chief Executive Officer of the London-listed company, on Wednesday.
“The early conclusion is very clear: the Barroso lithium project remains highly prospective for further spodumene lithium resource delineation,” Proenca added.
Savannah has stated that the Barroso deposit is already the largest spodumene deposit in Europe. With 60,000 tonnes of known reserves, Portugal is Europe’s leading lithium producer, primarily for the ceramics industry.
However, the project has faced opposition from locals and environmentalists, including protests, legal challenges, and refusals to sell land. Approximately 24% of the required land is privately owned, while 75% consists of traditional “baldios,” or common land.
Barroso is forecasted to have a throughput of about 1.5 million tonnes annually over its estimated 14-year mine life, based on a resource of 20.5 million tonnes at 1.05% lithium oxide.
