Keely:
Infinity Lithium has been awarded premier status for its San Jose Lithium project by the regional government of Extremadura, declaring it as a project of regional and general interest. To discuss this milestone, I’m joined by the company’s Managing Director and CEO Ryan Parkin. Welcome Ryan. Tell us about this news?
Ryan:
Well, yes, we’re thrilled to announce that the Extremadura and regional government has declared the San Jose Lithium Project in Extremadura, a project of regional and public interest. And of course, this is huge news for the company and for shareholders as we see the government endorse the project directly and they’ll take the next steps to accelerate permitting.
Keely:
And Ryan, why has San Jose been awarded this status?
Ryan:
I mean, the San Jose Lithium Project is a large scale lithium chemical conversion project that has significance not only in Europe, but also for the region of Extremadura. The government has been trying to attract investment to the region aligned to the lithium ion battery value chain. We’ve seen MOUs executed with cathode players. We’ve seen a commitment to a lithium ion battery plant. So this is one of the few regions that can cornerstone that investment on a lithium resource.
Keely:
And just how important of a step is being awarded premier status?
Ryan:
Well, premier status for us is obviously of extreme importance as we can accelerate the permitting pathway. We can access subsidies aligned to employment and also appropriate lands. But also from the government’s perspective, they have highlighted the urgent attention to the administrative process and we now look forward to seeing that assessment and move forward into project development.
Keely:
And lastly, Ryan, what are the next steps from here?
Ryan:
Well, what we’ve seen over the last three to four weeks is the declaration of a viable resource at San Jose. We’ve lodged our major project documentation and now on the back of that, the classification as a project of strategic importance for Extremadura. And of course it’s important for Europe. So what we’re going to see is we’re going to be navigating that administrative framework now for the administration and assessment of our exploitation concession application and move forward into fully permitted status.
Keely:
Well, all very exciting and a fantastic step for the company. Thank you so much for your time. Ryan Parkin from Infinity Lithium, we look forward to the next update.
Ryan:
Thank you.