Mantle8 Iberia has obtained permits to explore hydrogen and helium in Aralar.

The General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines has, for the first time, granted two permits for the exploration of native hydrogen and helium in the Basque Country: the Madrid-based company Mantle8 Iberia, S.L. has received those named «Aralar I» (file No. 3,608) and «Aralar II» (3,609). The permits were granted by resolution of 5 June 2026 and published in issue 153 of the Boletín Oficial del País Vasco (BOPV), on 13 August 2026.

The publication was made by means of the resolution of Jose Luis Azkue Arrastoa, Director of Industrial Development and Administration, dated 24 July, in the “Otras disposiciones” section of the Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability. The resolutions assume that native hydrogen is a resource that has never been explored before, which justifies the interest in carrying out new research.

Two permits, 5,988 mining blocks and a one-year period

The two permits have a duration of one year and are intended for the research of the resources under section C) —native hydrogen and helium. Their characteristics are as follows:

• «Aralar I» — file No. 3,608: Gipuzkoa and Navarra, 2,996 mining blocks.
• «Aralar II» — file No. 3,609: Araba and Navarra, 2,992 mining blocks.

In total, the 5,988 blocks cover a wide territory, from western Navarra to Gipuzkoa and Araba. The holder is Mantle8 Iberia, S.L. (tax ID B21981287), with registered office at 109 Príncipe de Vergara street, Madrid.

Only non-invasive work, with geophones

The programme includes office work, geological mapping, non-invasive field data collection, point sampling —for laboratory analysis— and 2D/3D geological models. Geophones, a passive technology, will be used to obtain images of the subsoil; no extractive activity or action that would substantially alter the configuration of the land or subsoil is foreseen. The resolution adds that Law 21/2013 on environmental assessment and Royal Decree 975/2009 are not applicable.

The special conditions are clear:

• All work will be carried out using techniques that do not substantially alter the configuration of the land, and no roads or access ways may be opened.
• The permits do not exempt the holder from the other binding permits, licences and approvals required for the activity.

Processing and appeal

The application was submitted on 9 July 2025 to the Industry, Energy Infrastructure and Mining Regulation Service of the Government of Navarra. A requirement dated 13 November stipulated that the exploration be limited to hydrogen and helium, the term be adjusted to one year, and the surface area be justified; the company completed the file on 17 December. The department of the Basque Government issued a favourable report on 27 April, and that of Navarra on 29 April.

Since it affects the territory of two autonomous communities, the resolution has been issued by the General Directorate of Energy Policy and Mines, signed by the Director General Manuel García Hernández, on 5 June 2026. The case is governed by Law 22/1973 on Mines and by Royal Decree 2857/1978, the General Regulations. The resolution does not exhaust the administrative route: an appeal may be lodged within one month before the holder of the Secretary of State for Energy.

The decision is a milestone in the Basque Country’s energy policy: for the first time a permit is granted to investigate that resource, and the resolution itself acknowledges that the area is large and that the exploration figure was chosen because geological knowledge is scarce; otherwise, the investigation permit figure would be required. These permits may be a direct precedent for future cases, and they have a significant impact on the energy and environmental fields, as they concern a broad territory around Aralar.

Source: Official Gazette of the Basque Country (BOPV), Issue No. 153, 13 August 2026, section «Otras disposiciones», pp. 1-4 (official references: 2026/3601 and 2026/3602).