乌美矿产协议首个项目启动招标程序 开采权或存争议

Core Points - Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced the initiation of the bidding process for the Dobra lithium mine located in Kirovohrad Oblast, central Ukraine, marking the first project under the Ukraine-U.S. mineral agreement [1] - The official bidding announcement is expected to be released within the next two months, followed by a three-month period for bid submissions, after which the winning bidder will be determined [1] - The winning bidder is required to sign a 50-year contract and commit to an investment of at least $179 million, which includes geological exploration and lithium production and refining [1] Controversies - There are disputes regarding the mining rights for the Dobra lithium mine, as reported by British media [1] - American Critical Metals claims that its major shareholder, Australia's European Lithium, already holds the mining rights for the area [1] - Mikhailo Zhernov, who serves on the boards of both European Lithium and Critical Metals, stated that the mining license should have been granted to "Oil Consulting," a Ukrainian company acquired by European Lithium last year [1] - A Ukrainian court ruled in 2023 that the government should issue the license to "Oil Consulting," but the license has yet to be granted [1] Agreements - In April of this year, Ukraine signed an agreement with the United States to establish a Ukraine-U.S. Reconstruction Investment Fund [1] - The agreement includes provisions for U.S. companies to have priority rights to extract Ukrainian mineral resources, and U.S. military aid is also counted as part of the investment in the fund [1]