The LME is planning a lithium contract, and in June selected Fastmarkets to provide a reference price, but has given no timeline for an official launch.

Savannah already mines feldspar, quartz and pegmatites in Barroso, a mountainous region in the north of Portugal.

A 99.60% MnSO4 product was produced with mineral from the Battery Hill property.

Albemarle, SQM and other lithium producers have been scaling back expansion plans as near-term oversupply concerns drag on prices.

Environmental concerns have moved to the top of the agenda in recent years with heightened awareness of climate change amid public protests.

The carmaker had said in March it intended "to move 100% of its European sales to electrified powertrains by 2025.