Galicia promotes industrial mining, Portugal invests €9.2 m in mine restoration

The Galician regional government’s economy and industry minister, María Jesús Lorenzana, said the region’s mining policy is being reoriented from an extractive model to an “industrial” one. She highlighted a new law that ties social and economic benefits to projects that use natural resources, emphasizing job creation, local business collaboration, training, environmental protection and community involvement. Upcoming mining concessions for 2025‑2026 will be awarded on the basis of these criteria, with special attention to sites such as San Finx, Corcoesto and Santa Comba.

In Portugal, the state‑owned Empresa de Desenvolvimento Mineiro (EDM) signed a €9.2 million agreement, co‑financed by the Alentejo 2030 programme (€7 million), to restore former mining areas in Aljustrel and Lousal. The project will isolate about 350,000 m³ of contaminated material, permanently seal an open‑pit waste dump containing roughly 120,000 m³, and upgrade local drainage systems to prevent further water pollution.