Recursos Minerales de Galicia has completed the process and formalised the registration of all documentation for evaluation by the public administration.
Mina Doade, the underground mining project for the extraction of lithium and feldspar minerals in Beariz (Ourense), has completed the application process for an exploitation concession with the Regional Ministry of Economy and Industry. From now on, the documentation submitted by Recursos Minerales de Galicia, S.A. for the opening of Mina Doade will be evaluated by the administration within a period of 18 months.
In this way, Recursos Minerales de Galicia, S.A., promoter of Mina Doade, has submitted, among others, the following documents
- Exploitation Project, which describes how the mining activity will be carried out, explaining the extraction method, among other things, and certifying that the project complies with current legislation in all areas.
- Concentration Plan Project, which describes the surface industrial facilities and a comprehensive water management plan that includes a treatment plant.
- Restoration Plan, which specifies, with financial guarantees, how the land will return to its original use of forestry exploitation once the mining operation is completed.
- Environmental Impact Study (EIS), which compiles the work carried out to identify and evaluate the environmental impacts of the mining project; proposes corrective measures for negative impacts and to enhance positive effects. It also includes an Environmental Monitoring Plan, which establishes the monitoring of corrective and preventive measures. Attached to this document, Mina Doade presents an Economic and Social Impact Study. This is the result of the initial Citizen Participation and Communication project and fulfils a requirement of the Law for the Promotion of the Social and Economic Benefits of Projects that Utilise Galicia’s Natural Resources (Law 02/2024).
- Feasibility Report, which certifies compliance with the required economic and technical solvency requirements.
The documentation provided consists of more than 8,700 pages (700 MB of information) grouped into 105 documents. It compiles the work of dozens of professionals including engineers, geologists, chemists, environmental technicians, economists, lawyers, and sociologists gathered in about twenty university research groups, specialised companies, and internal teams of Grupo Samca.
Thousands of hours of work have been dedicated over the past nine years to prepare the complete project that has been submitted today. Recursos Minerales de Galicia, S.A. has invested 10 million euros in preparing this application for the exploitation concession.
Timeline
Until now, Recursos Minerales de Galicia, S.A., promoter of Mina Doade, has a research permit called Alberta I that covers the municipalities of Cerdedo, Forcarei, Avión, Beariz, and A Lama. This is a large area of land (1,690 hectares) where the Administration has authorised the company to take samples and explore de subsoil.
After years of studies and analyses on the ground, the company´s technicians have determined that the best place to establish a viable underground mine is a more specific location: the Doade-Beariz mountains, which are owned by the the Comunidade de Montes Veciñal (CMVMC) Lema, Cega and Bisticobo. This is a delimited area of 13.62 hectares.
From now on, the application of Recursos Minerales de Galicia, S.A. will follow the administrative procedures according to legal deadlines (18 months). As soon as the public administrations grant the exploitation permit, the excavation of the mine and the construction of the processing plant will begin, incorporating workers and hiring suppliers.
