Overview
- The European Commission on Friday selected 46 new strategic projects across 16 member states under its Critical Raw Materials framework to speed domestic supply of key minerals.
- Two Spanish initiatives were included: Abenójar Tungsten’s planned processing plant in Puertollano linked to the El Moto wolframium mine and the Cobre San Rafael copper extraction projects in Touro and O Pino, A Coruña.
- Designated projects gain accelerated permitting timetables and help to access finance and buyers, with extraction permits capped at shorter deadlines and streamlined review paths under the EU law.
- Brussels estimates the newly selected projects need about €21.1 billion of investment and warns the main short‑term risk is a lack of buyers and binding offtake contracts; Abenójar has a 10‑year exclusive deal with Traxys Europe and plans a London listing to raise funds.
- The selection is part of the EU’s wider 2030 goals to extract 10% of its needs, process 40% and recycle 25% of strategic materials and responds to concentration risks such as China’s roughly 80% share of global tungsten supply.