"Huge encroachment"

Lithium mining on the Koralpe: Styrians are worried

An Australian company wants to mine lithium in the Styrian-Carinthian border region, process the sought-after raw material in Saudi Arabia and ultimately make billions in profits worldwide with the "white gold". Sounds bizarre, but it's true. The project is now facing headwinds.

There are stories that cannot be made up: In the 1980s, a test tunnel was driven under the wine plain in search of uranium. As nothing was found, the Republic of Austria sold the supposedly unprofitable mine to an Australian company in 1991. Purchase price: one shilling.