Aragón opens the Caspe Mayals CO2 permit to competition

The Official Gazette of Aragon publishes this October 1, 2026, in issue number 191, the Resolution of September 18, 2026, of the General Directorate of Energy and Mines, making public the application for the “Caspe Mayals” research permit for the geological storage of carbon dioxide. The company Carbon Storage Caspe, S.L. seeks a perimeter of 17,876.6545 hectares affecting the municipalities of Caspe, Fabara, Maella, and Nonaspe, in the province of Zaragoza. The resolution opens a two-month period to submit improvement proposals, competing bids, or to file an opposition.

Law 40/2010, of December 29, on the geological storage of carbon dioxide, attributes in its Article 5 to the competent body of the autonomous community the granting of research permits when they do not exceed the territorial scope of a single community, as well as the resolution of conflicts arising from concurrent rights. Chapter II of the same regulation establishes the legal regime for research and concession, and includes the publication in the official gazette of applications that meet the requirements.

According to the Decree of May 3, 2026, of the President of the Government of Aragon, and Decree 27/2026, of May 4, the General Directorate of Energy and Mines is the governing body of the Department of Economy, Competitiveness, and Employment that exercises competencies in energy and mines, including the geological storage of CO2.

The application and territorial scope

The company Carbon Storage Caspe, S.L. submitted the application on May 19, 2026, and corrected it on August 17, 2026, following a request from the Mining Promotion and Development Service. The announcement must include the name of the applicant and the delimitation of the area, in accordance with Article 9.4 of Law 40/2010.

The published data are as follows:

Applicant: Carbon Storage Caspe, S.L.
Designation: “Caspe Mayals” research permit
Delimited area: 17,876.6545 hectares
Affected municipalities: Caspe, Fabara, Maella, and Nonaspe (Zaragoza)
Delimitation: 18 vertices with geographic coordinates referred to the Greenwich meridian and the ETRS89 reference geodetic system

Deadlines and submission of bids

The deadline is two months starting from the publication of the resolution in the Official Gazette of Aragon. Improvement proposals, competing applications, and allegations shall be submitted to the General Directorate of Energy and Mines of the Government of Aragon.

Competing bids must be sent in a computer file encrypted with a secure password, including the documentation provided for in Article 9.3 of Law 40/2010. The sealed envelope or encrypted file will only be opened once the indicated period has ended.

Opening of bids and evaluation criteria

If competing bids are submitted, their opening shall be carried out by a committee with a composition analogous to that provided for in Article 72.2 of Royal Decree 2857/1978, of August 25, which approves the General Regulations for the Mining Regime. The evaluation will be conducted according to the criteria of the highest amount of investment and the speed of execution of the investment program.

The opening act will take place in the Pignatelli building, in the room that will be announced in advance to interested parties and on the website of the Government of Aragon, at twelve o’clock on the first Monday following the end date of the two-month period. The resolution is signed by the Director General of Energy and Mines, María Yolanda Vallés Cases.

The publication places the municipalities of Bajo Aragón-Caspe on the map of carbon capture and storage projects, a key technology for industrial decarbonization. The announcement opens the door for third parties to compete for the same perimeter or for affected owners and rights holders to file an opposition before the Administration resolves on the permit.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, number 191, of October 1, 2026, Section V. Announcements, b) Other announcements (official reference: BOA20261001022).