Stakeholder engagement & bypass road update
Summary by AI BETAClose X
17 June 2026
Savannah Resources Plc
(AIM: SAV) ('Savannah', or the 'Company')
Stakeholder engagement & bypass road update
Savannah announces agreements with local entities, local business engagement initiative and bypass road public consultation
Savannah Resources Plc, the developer of the Barroso Lithium Project in Portugal (the 'Project'), a 'Strategic Project' under the European Critical Raw Materials Act and Europe's largest spodumene lithium deposit, is pleased to provide an update on its local stakeholder engagement initiatives and the bypass road environmental licencing process.
Memorandums of Understanding ('MoUs') signed with key community groups
Following on from the MoU announced last October with Terra Quente Saúde Group, an established local healthcare provider, the Company's Communities team has been successful this year in striking a number of additional agreements with key local stakeholder groups to formalise more mutually beneficial relationships. In total ten MoUs have been signed to date, the first three of which Savannah can now confirm are with Associação de Caçadores de Boticas, Associação de Caça e Pesca do Lezenho-Canedo and Associação Desportiva e Recreativa de Couto de Dornelas, three local recreational associations operating within the municipalities of Boticas and Ribeira de Pena. The three associations represent approximately 250 individual members, including residents from communities located in close proximity to the Project.
These agreements formalise the participation of local stakeholders in the continued development of the Project and reflect a growing level of engagement and constructive dialogue with community organisations at the local and regional level. Under the terms of the MoUs, the associations listed above will participate in the Project's Local Advisory and Monitoring Committee, which will contribute to ongoing social monitoring activities and oversee the allocation of funds through the Barroso Lithium Foundation (the "Foundation"). Once the Project is in operation, the Foundation is expected to provide €500,000 per annum to support local development initiatives aimed at enhancing long-term socio-economic outcomes in the region.
Further announcements on other MoUs with local stakeholder groups will be made in due course.
Building relationships with local businesses
In parallel to its progress with local resident engagement, Savannah continues to engage actively with the local business community. The Company has developed long term relationships with multiple local businesses who have provided goods and services to the Project for many years. With its sights on the construction and operating phase of the Project, Savannah is keen to increase the number of local suppliers it works with. Hence, the Company recently hosted a dedicated engagement session with approximately 25 local business representatives in collaboration with Associação Mais Boticas (the Boticas Chamber of Commerce), focused on identifying opportunities for participation in the Project's supply chain.
During the session, the Company presented the Project development timeline and outlined the expected economic activities related to the construction and operational phases, highlighting opportunities for regional contractors and suppliers across sectors including transport, services and logistics. Savannah reiterated its intention to prioritise local suppliers where appropriate and to support capability-building initiatives aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of local businesses, thereby contributing to regional economic development and increasing local participation in the Project's value chain. In response to the event, a group of local businesspeople have already confirmed their plan to start a new cooperative venture that will help the region capture more benefits from the project by rehabilitating local housing.
Environmental Licencing process for the Boticas bypass road
To reduce the impact of Project-related traffic on local communities, a key part of the Project's design is a c.17km bypass road around the town of Boticas which will provide the Project's area with a new link to the national highway network. This road will also be open to the public and provide long called for improved access for local businesses and residents to the exterior, including significantly reducing the travel time to the nearest medical centres in Chaves and Vila Real.
Figure 1: Proposed road layout
As part of the ongoing environmental licencing process for the bypass, the Portuguese authorities have, as expected, opened a public consultation on the proposal which will remain open until 17 July 2026. This gives all stakeholders an opportunity to comment on the scheme and the two layout options being proposed (with the road running either north or south of Boticas town). Assuming the environmental licencing period for the bypass road continues as expected, the Declaration of Environmental Impact ('DIA') for the road would be received in early Q4 2026.
The public consultation documents can be viewed at, https://participa.pt/pt/consulta/variante-a-boticas-e-ligacao-a-a24
Emanuel Proenca, Chief Executive Officer of Savannah said, "We are delighted to have signed so many MoUs with key local stakeholder groups and to be engaging with a wide range of local businesses. This demonstrates the growing levels of local community support and interaction with the Project and we look forward to working closely with these groups, and many others, as the Project moves into construction and operation.
"Successfully building strong local partnerships is a source of great pride to the Savannah team and is a key component of our strategy to deliver the Project in a responsible, transparent and sustainable manner, while creating long-term value for all stakeholders.
"We also welcome the public consultation process for the Boticas bypass road, which represents an important piece of new infrastructure for both the Project and the local population. We expect the bypass road to receive its DIA approval in Q4 2026.
"Progress has now entered a faster phase at the Barroso Lithium Project. The next critical milestone is the completion of the Project's Definitive Feasibility Study, which will then unlock further significant news flow before the end of the year."
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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