00:01Deep in a mine, iron ore rocks glisten.
00:06It's a sign they contain lithium.
00:09Geologist Thomas Dietrich has been taking rock samples for years from here.
00:17We've been able to show that all in all we have 193 million tons of so-called measured, indicated ore resources here.
00:26One third is in Germany, two thirds on the Czech side.
00:36This is Marco Ulic. He wants to extract what's held here.
00:41The CEO of Zinwald Lithium, a privately held company, wants to start work in 2030, with extracting 18,000 tons a year and then more than 28,000 tons.
00:56We want to build a whole mine beneath the village of Zinwald.
01:02We will extract rocks. Then the raw ore will travel through a nine kilometer long tunnel towards Liebenau.
01:10That's another village here.
01:16There it will come above ground and straight into a processing plant, where the mineral ingredients are separated from each other and the lithium is extracted.
01:27For the production of lithium hydroxide for making batteries.
01:31Around 400 jobs could be created, plus another 1,000 with suppliers.
01:38The problem? The locals aren't sure they want to see mining return here.
01:43Since 1991, when mining ended in the region, it has turned to tourism.
01:48And the Ore Mountains have been sold as a travel destination, a place for hiking in summer and skiing or sledding in winter.
02:00And while no one from the Local Citizens Initiative wanted to speak on camera, the town's deputy mayor shared how people here feel.
02:08There are people saying we have a mining tradition here. That's an opportunity for us. But there's others saying our nature, landscape and tourism is under threat.
02:21That's why we're against this project. It's a blessing and a curse.
02:26A blessing because it would improve corporate tax income, which would be very welcome news for our town.
02:35But a curse because we can't afford to undermine the tourism we have worked hard to establish over the past 30 years.
02:44And that's why it is our job as the town's administrators to stay out of the debate.
02:49As long as the benefits don't strongly outweigh the cost. And we're not there yet.
03:00The company's CEO is trying to address the concerns.
03:04He says that most of the extracted material will be returned to the mine so that, for instance, houses aren't affected.
03:11Something that has happened with ore extraction in other places, like a Swedish village which had to be evacuated and moved recently.
03:19People are worried. What will happen to my house in Zinfeld? What's the impact on the groundwater?
03:27What about sand and mining dust blowing around? Those are all legitimate questions.
03:33But that's why it's important to establish such a mining project in Germany, to show people that we have rules and regulations in place.
03:42Back in the old mine, geologist Thomas Dietrich is sampling rock, hoping that this work isn't in vain and that Zinbad lithium will become a reality when extraction begins.
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