The site in Retortillo, Spain could become the only open-cast uranium mine in Europe. A controversial decision by the Ministry of Industry to authorize a uranium mine in the province of Salamanca (Castilla y Leon) is to be investigated by the national High Court, following an appeal against the project by ecologist platform groups. The mine is near small municipalities of Retortillo and Villavieja de Yeltes, close to the border with Portugal. If it were to go ahead this would be the first active uranium mine in Spain since 2003, and the Berkeley website explains that the site is one of the world best undeveloped near-production uranium assets with large-scale production potential. The web site also asserts that the company has received all the European Union, national, regional and provincial level approvals required for the initial infrastructure development of the project at Retortillo, and that production is scheduled to start this year, but grave concerns have been expressed by ecologists about converting the area into the only open-case uranium mine in Europe. Adversarial concern or basis in facts? In addition, there are allegations of influence trafficking in the decision to allow the project to go ahead on the part of Manuel Lamela, who was formerly the second-in-charge at the Ministry of Agriculture when the Minister was Miguel Arias Canete. It was Sr Arias Canete who signed the relevant document following discussions in which Sr Lamela acted as an intermediary. This matter is one of those which the courts have agreed to investigate and is of crucial importance, since the Berkeley project is considered to be a radioactive installation and is therefore treated in the same way as a nuclear power station in terms of the environmental safety guarantees required. Sounds like the adversaries have gone a little nuts on this matter...
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