By Minener Editorial Team | May 2025
Despite a recent claim by Spain’s Prime Minister that “there is no uranium in Spain and therefore we must import it,” geological and historical evidence contradicts such a blunt statement. Spain, in fact, holds the second-largest uranium reserves in the European Union, estimated at 25,000–30,000 tonnes, mainly concentrated in Salamanca. So why isn’t this domestic supply being used?
🏭 A Forgotten Resource with Strategic Value
Spain once operated uranium mines, but the last of them closed in 2000 due to poor economic feasibility. At the time, domestic production costs exceeded market prices by up to 30%, making mining financially unviable. Two decades later, Law 7/2021 on Climate Change and Energy Transition explicitly banned new exploration or mining of radioactive minerals, closing the door to uranium even as geopolitical tensions have sparked renewed interest across Europe.
But context matters. The European Union is now pushing for strategic autonomy in energy and raw materials, aiming to reduce dependence on Russia and China — the two main uranium enrichment powers. In this new paradigm, Spain’s uranium potential may no longer be dismissible.
⚠️ Environmental Risks and Technical Limits
One major challenge is environmental: past uranium mining has left a toxic legacy. A 2018 study published in Environmental Pollution found uranium concentrations in soil near former Salamanca mines up to 18 times above natural levels. Reopening these sites would require substantial investment in safety and remediation.
Then there’s the technical bottleneck: Spain lacks uranium enrichment capabilities. While it once produced yellowcake (U₃O₈), the next step — enriching uranium-235 to usable levels for reactors — is technologically complex, capital-intensive, and currently controlled by a handful of nations. Spain’s ENUSA has already struggled to replace Russian-enriched uranium following trade restrictions.
⚡ Renewable Power vs Nuclear Resurgence
The uranium debate reflects broader tensions: energy sovereignty vs environmental safety, nuclear revival vs renewable leadership. In 2024, renewables supplied 56.8% of Spain’s electricity, making the country a global clean energy leader. Nuclear power, on the other hand, faces not only financial hurdles but also public opposition and high infrastructure costs.
Still, recent blackouts in Spain and Portugal have exposed vulnerabilities in a system reliant on fluctuating renewable sources without sufficient storage or backup. This has reignited discussions around nuclear energy’s role as a stabilizing force — and by extension, the feasibility of domestic uranium.
🔍 What’s Next for Projects Like Retortillo?
The case of Berkeley Minera’s Retortillo project illustrates the deadlock. Although the exploitation request was submitted before Law 7/2021 took effect, it received an unfavorable report from the Nuclear Safety Council due to unresolved geotechnical and hydrogeological risks. The company, however, remains interested, citing rising uranium prices and the EU’s changing stance on domestic mining.
Spain may not restart uranium mining tomorrow, but dismissing its potential outright ignores changing geopolitical and economic realities. The debate is no longer just about mining — it’s about energy strategy, industrial sovereignty, and the cost of keeping the lights on.