Spain’s Geological and Mining Institute, the Instituto Geologico y Minero de Espana (IGME), is close to announcing a contract winner, or winners, for a planned 110,000-square-kilometre airborne geophysics survey, flagged earlier this year as part of a €182 million National Mineral Exploration Program.
The NMEP was described by the institute as the first national-scale mineral exploration program in Spain in more than 50 years.
Airborne magnetic, radiometric and gravity surveys over the Centro Iberica, Ossa Morena and South Portuguese “zones”, due to start within weeks, are aimed at improving geological knowledge and “unlocking the country’s mineral potential, supporting the identification of strategic resources and contributing to a more secure and resilient supply of raw materials”.
The Spanish Government approved a 2026–2030 action plan for sustainable management of mineral raw materials, “a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening the country’s position in the supply of critical resources while advancing towards a more sustainable, innovative and competitive mining sector”, in March this year.
“With a total public investment of €414 million the plan establishes a comprehensive roadmap to reinforce Spain’s role in the critical raw materials value chain, which is essential for the energy transition, digitalisation and industrial development across Europe,” IGME said.
Bids on a circa €6 million airborne geophysics program closed last month.
