Industry opens hearing to expire mining rights in Alto Bierzo

The Territorial Service of Industry, Commerce, and Economy of León has opened the hearing process prior to the declaration of expiration of all resource exploitation concessions under section D) of the Mining Law held by the defunct company Alto Bierzo, S.A. The announcement is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla y León no. 194, dated October 6, 2026, with the official reference BOCYL-D-06102026-194-39 and case number D(CAD-AB).230928. Interested parties have a period of fifteen days to file objections and present the documents and justifications they deem appropriate.

The announcement is issued in application of articles 46 and 92 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations, and is expressly situated “prior to the drafting of the proposal to initiate the administrative procedure.” It does not yet declare the expiration: it opens the hearing phase so that interested parties can defend their interests before the body drafts the initiation proposal.

The case affects resource exploitation concessions under section D) of the Mining Law whose ownership corresponds to an extinguished company. The document is dated León, October 1, 2026, and is signed by Marta Pérez Casado as Head of the Territorial Service of Industry, Commerce, and Economy of León, with the indication “P.S. (Resolution of the D.T. of 14-02-2018)”. It is published on page 460 of the gazette, under the heading of the Regional Ministry of Environment and Energy.

A fifteen-day hearing process

The published text informs all parties interested in the procedure that they have a period of fifteen days during which they may “allege and present the documents and justifications they deem pertinent in defense of their interests.”

The announcement does not detail the exact number of affected concessions nor their area, details which it refers to the case file D(CAD-AB).230928 itself. Nor does it identify the current holders, beyond noting that the holding company is extinguished.

Nine municipalities in the province of León

The lands affected by the concessions are distributed across nine municipal districts of León:

• Igüeña
• Torre del Bierzo
• Villagatón
• Folgoso de la Ribera
• Castropodame
• Noceda del Bierzo
• Toreno
• Páramo del Sil
• Bembibre

The territorial scope therefore covers a wide set of municipalities in the Bierzo region and its immediate surroundings.

Parallel procedure for Minas del Bierzo Alto

On the same date, the same territorial service published an announcement of identical content referring to the defunct Minas del Bierzo Alto, S.L., with case number D(CAD-MBA).230928 and reference BOCYL-D-06102026-194-40, on page 461.

Both procedures share the nine affected municipalities, the fifteen-day period, the date of signature, and the signing authority, and are processed separately depending on the company holding the mining rights.

The eventual expiration of these mining rights affects the resource exploitation regime of section D) in nine Leonese municipalities and the future of a mining heritage whose holders no longer exist. The opening of the hearing process is the first formal step for the regional Administration to declare the concessions extinguished, which opens the door to their reorganization or to new uses of the territory.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla y León, no. 194, of October 6, 2026, section I.E (E.2 Other Official Announcements), page 460 (official reference: BOCYL-D-06102026-194-39).