Residents of Romanian village vote 98.4% against opening magnesium mining operation

Inhabitants of the village of Rovinari, in Sibiu County, overwhelmingly voted against the opening of a magnesium mining project in neighboring Valea Dobra, according to the provisional results presented by the Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP).

Of the more than 4,400 citizens registered on the electoral rolls, 2,244 went to the polls and voted.

For the referendum to be validated, voter turnout must exceed 30%. In addition, the number of valid votes cast must exceed 25% of the total number of voters registered on the permanent electoral rolls.

Voting ended on Sunday at 11:00 PM at the three polling stations set up for the referendum, with voter turnout reaching 50.64%, according to News.ro.

Roughly 98.43% of votes cast were against mining, meaning that 2,194 voters answered "NO" to the question: "Do you agree with any mining operation within the administrative-territorial boundaries of Răşinari commune?"

The percentage of those who answered affirmatively was 1.57%, with 35 residents of Răşinari expressing support for the mining project.

Romanian company Mineral Proiect Invest SA (MPI) announced in September that it had obtained the mining license for the integrated magnesium project in Răşinari-Sălişte, Sibiu County. This is the first integrated industrial magnesium project in the European Union to reach such an advanced stage and involves combined investments of more than EUR 400 million, aiming to create a complete industrial supply chain in Romania.

The deposit in Valea Dobra, located near the locality of Răşinari, has estimated resources of more than 50 million tons.