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Enresa
CONTRACTOR PROFILE

Environmental restoration

From the extraction of uranium ore from deposits to its loading as fuel in nuclear power plants, uranium passes through various sites: uranium mines and mills, and manufacturing plants for fuel assemblies. Enresa is responsible for restoring these sites once their operational life comes to an end.

Uranium mining was carried out in Spain at locations in Castile-Leon, Extremadura and Andalusia. Mining activity began in 1948 and ended in 2000.

Since 1997, Enresa has been developing and carrying out tasks aimed at environmental restoration. These tasks basically consist of the backfilling of mines, the sealing of shafts, stabilisation of the ground, slopes and embankments, topographical reconstruction and vegetative regeneration.

In tandem with the discontinuance of uranium mining, ore processing facilities have also been closing and currently there are no facilities in operation. Enresa has collaborated in the dismantling and environmental restoration of the uranium mills of La Haba, in Badajoz, and Elefante Plant in Salamanca. These facilities are now in the monitoring phase.

Aerial views of the Badajoz concentrate plant after decommissioning
Aerial views of the Badajoz concentrate plant before decommissioning 

Move the controller to change between before/after

Uranium mining in Saelices El Chico, in Salamanca, began in 1954 and continued until the year 2000. The Definitive Restoration works were carried out between 2004 and 2009. Currently, it is in the phase of improvement and reduction of acid water treatment, for this, a R&D project was launched in 2017.

Its aims include:

  • geomorphological, hydraulic and forest recuperation in the area
  • improvement of the quality of the basin’s waters
  • reduction of radiological impact on the remaining installations
  • integration into the landscape.