“Once a mining concession is withdrawn, any company can apply to compete for a certain territory. No company has shown interest yet, and at the moment there is nothing that makes us consider the project for the Torre de Moncorvo mines,” said Jean Barroca, the Deputy Secretary of State and Energy, to the Lusa agency.
The official stated that the whole system regarding geological and mining resources is being organized, and the technical and financial rules for companies that could compete for respective concessions are being reviewed.
“All of this will include changes to contracts and the conditions of royalties that these contracts will pay to the territories, and at the same time revisiting some of the environmental rules, as well as the involvement of local communities, which does not apply specifically only to this mine,” stressed Jean Barroca.
These measures will need to be analyzed before any mining concession and exploration contract can commence, specifically concerning the re-evaluation of the Torre de Moncorvo mines, according to the Secretary of State.
The official suggested that there is no indication of a project for a steel production facility connected to an iron mining exploration project, as alternatives like land, rail, or river transport of the ore exist.
“There is nothing requiring that the project comes with such a condition [steel production] attached. There may be consultations with interested parties to make a common project viable,” he clarified.
The Mayor of Torre de Moncorvo, José Meneses, emphasized the importance of private initiative in such business, but in a coherent manner, as the previous model did not work and did not bring prosperity to the territory, instead leaving losses.
“The open-pit ore crushing model is not the most suitable. The most viable would be to create a mini steel plant in Torre de Moncorvo, with the raw material already transformed here. This is the only way to create jobs and added value for the municipality,” stressed the social-democratic mayor.
The officials spoke to the Lusa agency on the sidelines of the Expo-Moncorvo inauguration in this Douro Superior village, which continues until Wednesday.
The government canceled the mineral iron deposit exploitation concession contract in Torre de Moncorvo, located in the Bragança district, which was awarded to Aethel Mining Portugal, S.A., according to the notice published in the Diário da República on April 4, 2025.
On February 12, the mining company Aethel Mining admitted to Lusa a “strategic reassessment” of the project at the Torre de Moncorvo mines, reaffirming its “unwavering commitment” to it and denied the possibility of selling.
Aethel had even expressed an intention to “reinforce and expand activity” in the mine, following the Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG) noting a lack of plans and operational activity.
On January 31, an official source from DGEG told Lusa that “the concessionaire has not developed operational activities in the area of the concession, and no exploration or other activities have been approved, as the Work Program for the year 2025 has not been submitted.”
The mining project installed on Cabeço da Mua, in Torre de Moncorvo, was resumed on March 13, 2020, after 38 years of abandonment, with an investment planned at 550 million euros for the next 60 years.
