Magnificent 4 bedroom villa with 315sqm in Guia, Cascais. This excellent property is divided into 3 floors. On the ground floor we find a wide living room, kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom; on the 1st floor we find two bedrooms, a bathroom and a suite. Lastly, in the basement there is a garage and laundry room.

Moves have been afoot for months to turn Portugal into Europe’s top supplier of lithium – the metal used in batteries for electric cars and thus a vital component in the race to keep up with the future. The stumbling block has always been that while this country is already exporting more lithium than any other in Europe, it has no facilities to ‘refine it’.

Portugal is poised to take the lead on the production and export of lithium – a key component of lithium-ion batteries. These rechargeable power sources are used for a large variety of electronics, from mobile phones and laptops to electric cars. Lithium has been experiencing a global boom due to anticipated growing demand for electric vehicles.

Portugal plans to open a lithium licensing auction in May, as part of an ongoing bid to expand their lithium production, streamline their refinement process, and become a major power in the global energy market.

Societal concerns with environmental questions and sustainability are priority issues; the exploitation of lithium cannot be carried out without considering environmental issues.

According to USDA report estimates Portugal produced 200 MT of Lithium in 2016. It was produced and sold in its crude form of ores and concentrates, as Portugal is lacking any refining capacity.

It emerged this week that Portugal could become Europe’s first supplier of lithium, a mineral which has enjoyed an increasing demand in recent years.

The Mina do Barroso Lithium Project in northern Portugal is Western Europe’s largest new spodumene lithium discovery. Thanks to the project’s grade, scale and location Savannah has the unique and highly strategic opportunity to become the first significant lithium producer in Europe.

As populations rise up against the government’s determination to award licences to companies to mine lithium, experts are being cited to reinforce the ‘plus sides’ of the metal that has suddenly become so ‘sexy’.

“Portugal has the natural resources, the know-how and the technology to cover the entire production cycle - from lithium production to the manufacture of these energy storage devices - in particular for batteries for the automotive industry.