Zaidín mining permit definitively admitted in Aznalcóllar and Escacena del Campo

The Territorial Delegation of Economy, Finance and European Funds and of Industry, Energy and Mines in Huelva has definitively admitted the application for the research permit for Section C resources named «ZAIDÍN», number 15.008, promoted by the company Iberian Resources Limited, S.L. within the municipal boundaries of Escacena del Campo (Huelva) and Aznalcóllar (Seville). The agreement is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Seville number 216, dated November 9, 2026, pages 266 and 267, with official reference BOP-SE-2026-216036, and opens a public information period of 20 days.

The resolution is adopted «without prejudice to better rights» and without prejudice to any modifications that may become necessary during processing, according to the text signed by the territorial delegate, Lucía Núñez Sánchez. The file is available for review at the Territorial Delegation in Huelva, at Camino del Saladillo, s/n, postal code 21007, from 09:00 to 14:00 hours, Monday to Friday, except holidays, and also on the Participation Platform of the Junta de Andalucía.

A nine-vertex perimeter between two provinces

The announcement details the perimeter of the permit through nine vertices referred to the Greenwich meridian in the ETRS89 geodetic reference system, which draw an irregular polygon:

• Vertex PP-1, coinciding with the closure PP, at 6º 25’ 20’’ west and 37º 33’ 20’’ north.
• Vertices 2, 3, 4 and 5, with longitudes from 6º 22’ 00’’ to 6º 22’ 20’’ west and latitudes from 37º 31’ 40’’ to 37º 33’ 20’’ north.
• Vertices 6, 7, 8 and 9, with longitudes from 6º 24’ 00’’ to 6º 26’ 40’’ west and latitudes from 37º 31’ 40’’ to 37º 32’ 40’’ north.

The definitive admission was agreed upon on June 26, 2026, and is made public in compliance with article 51.1 of Law 22/1973, of July 21, on Mines, and article 70.2 of Royal Decree 2857/1978, of August 25, which approves the General Regulation for the Mining Regime.

Twenty days to appear in the proceedings

The public information period for the permit is 20 days and is calculated, in accordance with article 83 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations, from the day following the publication of the announcement in the Official Gazette of the Junta de Andalucía, not from its insertion in the provincial gazette. Within that period, anyone with the status of an interested party may appear.

The publication in the BOP of Seville therefore serves as general publicity of the agreement, while the time reference for allegations remains linked to the regional gazette.

Restoration plan: 30 days and a file opened in 2018

Simultaneously, the opening of the public information period for the restoration plan is announced, as provided for in Article 6 of Royal Decree 975/2009, of June 12, on the management of waste from extractive industries and the protection and rehabilitation of areas affected by mining activities. The procedure details are as follows:

• Request for authorization of the Restoration Plan: March 16, 2018.
• Competent authority: The Honorable Territorial Delegate of Economy, Finance and European Funds and of Industry, Energy and Mines in Huelva.
• Proposed resolution: favorable, dated June 9, 2026.
• Appearance period: 30 days from the day following publication in the Official Gazette of the Junta de Andalucía.

In addition to the Territorial Delegation of Huelva, the announcement designates as competent information sources the Territorial Delegation of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy in Huelva, at Avenida Sanlúcar de Barrameda, number 3, 21071 Huelva, and the Territorial Delegation of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development in Huelva, at calle Los Mozárabes, number 8, 21002 Huelva.

The decision still has an open administrative path: the research permit is the previous step to the eventual granting of an exploitation concession, and its perimeter affects two provinces; therefore, the procedure is of interest to holders of mining rights, landowners, city councils, and environmental groups in the region. The mining history of Aznalcóllar, marked by the activity of Compañía Gaditana de minas La Caridad de Aznalcóllar and by the waste pond disaster of 1998, makes the public information period the primary point of citizen control over a project that, for now, has only been admitted for processing.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Seville, no. 216, November 9, 2026, section I (Regional Administration), pp. 266-267 (official reference: BOP-SE-2026-216036).