Navarra opens the Loar II gravel mine in Mendavia for public consultation

The company Hormicasa Canteras, SL has requested authorization for the mining exploitation of gravel and sand at the site known as Loar II, in the municipality of Mendavia. The Official Gazette of Navarra no. 185, dated September 17, 2026, publishes the public information of the project, which is subject to an ordinary environmental impact assessment, along with its environmental impact study and its restoration plan. The resolution opens a period of 30 business days for any interested party to submit allegations against the requested authorization.

Who processes it and under which regulations

The request is addressed to the General Directorate of Business Promotion and Infrastructure of the Government of Navarra, which is the body before which the exploitation authorization is requested. The announcement is issued in application of two state regulations:

• Law 21/2013, of December 9, on environmental assessment, which determines that the project undergo an ordinary environmental impact assessment.
• Royal Decree 975/2009, of June 12, on the management of waste from extractive industries and the protection and rehabilitation of the area affected by mining activities.

The file is submitted for public information precisely because the environmental assessment is ordinary—the most demanding procedure provided for by law—and because mining waste regulations require the restoration plan for the affected area to be displayed. The announcement was signed in Pamplona on August 26, 2026, by the director of the Industrial Planning, Energy Infrastructure and Mines Service, Laura Larraya Irigoyen, and bears the official reference F2611867.

Deadline and method for allegations

The deadline is 30 business days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, and is counted from the day following the publication of the announcement, that is, from September 18, 2026. Allegations may be submitted through two channels:

• Preferably, through the General Electronic Registry of the Government of Navarra, addressed to the Industrial Planning, Energy Infrastructure and Mines Service.
• Or at any of the locations provided for in Article 16 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations.

Where to consult the file

The complete project documentation, the environmental impact study, and the restoration plan can be examined at two locations:

• The Industrial Planning, Energy Infrastructure and Mines Service, at Parque Tomás Caballero, 1, 5th floor, Pamplona / Iruña.
• The Transparency and Open Government Portal of Navarra, in the file for the public information process of the Loar II mining exploitation project.

Publication in the Official Gazette of Navarra is what formally activates the start of the period; therefore, any allegation submitted outside of those 30 business days will not be taken into account during the processing.

The decision directly affects the municipal district of Mendavia, where the operation is located, and its surroundings: the extraction of gravel and sand is an open-pit extractive activity with an impact on the soil, the landscape and, predictably, heavy vehicle traffic in the area. The public information process is the only formal window through which residents, associations, and environmental groups can incorporate their technical or environmental objections into the file before the General Directorate of Business Promotion and Infrastructure rules on the authorization.

Source: Official Gazette of Navarra, no. 185, of September 17, 2026, section 1.7 Others, page 33655 (official reference: F2611867).