One of the main environmental Spanish NGOs, Ecologistas en Acción, has warned that Atalaya Mining Plc, the company operating Riotinto copper mine in Spain, has mislead its shareholders by announcing the end of the legal suit challenging the legality of Riotinto environmental authorisation and by stating that the Spanish authorities have given a final resolution validating such authorisation.

On the 7th of May, Atalaya Mining stated to its shareholders 1, the Spanish media 2 and in its website 3 that the legal process issued by the Spanish environmentalist NGO Ecologistas en Acción, questioning the legality of the original environmental authorization granted to Riotinto and annulled by the Regional Court in 2018, has come to an end with the granting of a “favourable resolution” by the Andalusian government validating the original authorisation.

The Spanish NGO is denouncing the inaccuracy of both statements by the company given that first, there are outstanding two related legal suits launched by the NGO on July and October 2019 before the Andalusian Regional Court, which have not yet been decided. The NGO in such proceedings alldges that the Andalusian Government had not disclosed to the public important information on the potential risks of the mining operations, in particular a report by Dr. Steven Emerman 4 that concludes that there is a high risk of collapse of the tailing dams of Riotinto mine in the next 5 years.

Also, Ecologistas en Acción warns that the resolution which supposedly gives green light to the mine operations, is not final and indeed the competent Spanish mining authorities have themselves stated so to the media 5. According to the environmental organisation, this is because before the resolution becomes final it has to be sanctioned by the Andalusian Government and also formally notified to the NGO, at which point this can object the opening of the mine of the basis of the information which has been hidden from the public and which proves that there are serious potential risks of collapse of Riotinto dams.

Ecologistas en Acción emphasises that such procedural infringements by the Spanish administration are not “formal defects” – as Atalaya and the Andalusian Regional Government claim – but, rather, direct violations of the rights to public participation and information.

Consequently, as soon as Ecologistas en Acción are notified of the environmental authorisation, will appeal the resolution validating the restart of the mining operations.

  1. https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/ATYM/14531490.html
  2. https://www.huelvainformacion.es/provincia/Atalaya-Riotinto-Autorizacion-Ambiental-Unificada_0_1462354242.html
  3. https://atalayamining.com/blog/aau-granted-by-the-junta-de-andalucia/
  4. https://londonminingnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Why-are-Atalayas-RioTinto-tailings-dams-at-risk-.pdf
  5. https://www.lavanguardia.com/vida/20200508/481021840669/la-junta-asegura-que-el-permiso-para-riotinto-da-certeza-y-futuro-al-sector.html?utm_term=botones_sociales&utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=social