Land Access Claim
Summary by AI BETAClose X
9 June 2026
Savannah Resources Plc
(AIM: SAV) ('Savannah', or the 'Company')
Land Access Claim
Expected Precautionary Measure filed in court against Portuguese Ministry for the Environment
Savannah Resources plc, the European lithium development company, advises that in a repeat of action taken following the first land easement procedure, Savannah has been informed that a 'precautionary measure' (the 'Measure') has been filed at the Administrative and Fiscal Court of Mirandela by the Covas do Barroso Baldios, against the Portuguese Ministry for the Environment & Energy (the 'Ministry'). The Measure, which was anticipated by the Company (see 6 May 2026 RNS), relates to the temporary land easement order (the 'Order') which was approved by the Portuguese state last month. The Order gives Savannah temporary access to land which it does not own at the Project, for the purposes of conducting the last phase of fieldwork prior to construction.
Under Portuguese law, as the Order has been contested in a court, its authority is automatically pre-emptively suspended prior to a judicial evaluation of the merits of the Measure being made. A judgement by the court is now awaited. As a result, Savannah is required to temporarily stop its work on the relevant land at the Project. As always, Savannah will comply immediately with this requirement, ensuring that all working areas and equipment are secure and made safe. Savannah is free to continue with fieldwork on land that it owns or has alternative rights to access and will do so, including critical work to prepare and protect the region ahead of this summer's fire season.
As referred, similar Measures were previously brought against the Project following the first temporary land access order awarded by the Ministry in December 2024 (See 7 February 2025 RNS). Based on the large number of community members who work, interact and engage with Savannah on a regular basis and the growing number of cooperation agreements signed with a variety of entities, associations and groups in the region in the last 6 months, Savannah believes that the party bringing this action does not represent the majority of the population. Previous Measures were dealt with swiftly by the Ministry and the court, and work on the land concerned was able to restart after a short period.
Having reviewed the Measure documents, the Company's legal advisers are of the opinion that the same outcome can be expected. As in the previous cases, while awaiting the Ministry's response to the Measure, as a counter-interested party in this matter Savannah has already started working on the relevant response, which will be finalised and submitted to the court within the legal deadline. Savannah notes that the Portuguese Courts have found in favour of Savannah and/or the Project in all eight previous decisions (including two precautionary measures). The expectation is for work on the lands concerned to restart shortly.
Savannah will make further announcements relating to this matter as appropriate.
Regulatory Information
This Announcement contains inside information for the purposes of the UK version of the market abuse regulation (EU No. 596/2014) as it forms part of United Kingdom domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("UK MAR").
Savannah - Enabling Europe's energy transition.
**ENDS**
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For further information please visit www.savannahresources.com or contact:
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Savannah Resources PLC Emanuel Proença, CEO
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Tel: +351 963 850 959
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SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP (Nominated Advisor & Joint Broker) David Hignell / Charlie Bouverat (Corporate Finance) Grant Barker /Abigail Wayne (Sales & Broking)
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Tel: +44 20 3470 0470
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Canaccord Genuity Limited (Joint Broker) James Asensio / Rory Blundell / Charlie Hammond (Corporate Broking) Ben Knott (Sales)
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Portugal Media Relations António Neves Costa (Communications Manager) |
Tel: +351 962 678 912 |
About Savannah
Savannah Resources is a mineral resource development company and the sole owner of the Barroso Lithium Project (the 'Project') in northern Portugal. The Project is the largest battery grade spodumene lithium resource outlined to date in Europe and was classified as a 'Strategic Project' by the European Commission under the Critical Raw Materials Act in March 2025 and was approved for a Portuguese State development Grant of up to €110m in January 2026.
Through the Project, Savannah will help Portugal to play an important role in providing a long-term, locally sourced, lithium raw material supply for Europe's lithium battery value chain. Once in operation the Project will produce enough lithium (contained in c.190,000tpa of spodumene concentrate) for approximately half a million vehicle battery packs per year and hence make a significant contribution towards the European Commission's Critical Raw Material Act goal of a minimum 10% of European endogenous lithium production from 2030.
Savannah is focused on the responsible development and operation of the Barroso Lithium Project so that its impact on the environment is minimised and the socio-economic benefits that it can bring to all its stakeholders are maximised.
The Company is listed and regulated on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange and trades under the ticker "SAV".
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