Raw materials in southern Spain
Southern Spain (Andalusia, Murcia and Extremadura) is a key region in the exploitation of raw materials. The EIT RawMaterials Hub – Southern Regional Center of Spain is located in a geologically rich area with significant mining development. It is the European region with the largest reserve of non-ferrous minerals.
Within this region, the production of copper in particularly relevant, and part of the Iberian Pyrite Belt includes the westernmost region of Andalusia: an area with high concentration of massive polymetallic sulphides from which raw materials such as copper, lead and zinc, gold and silver are extracted.
Some data on mining production in southern Spain:
- It covers 42% of the country’s production of these materials.
- The extractive industry generates more than 40,000 direct and indirect jobs.
- The mining and metal sector is gaining ground in the Andalusian socio-economic context as an activity that represents prosperity and wealth, even in the current context of economic recovery.