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Santiago Cuesta-López analyzes the geopolitics of raw materials on El Filón Podcast

The director of the Iberian Sustainable Mining Cluster (ISMC), Santiago Cuesta-López, was interviewed on El Filón Podcast by its host, José Luis Seco de Herrera. Under the title “Geopolitics of Raw Materials: Who Controls the Future?”, the episode addressed the main challenges and opportunities Europe faces regarding critical mineral resources

A strategic vision from the ISMC

During the conversation, Santiago Cuesta-López emphasized the importance of ensuring European strategic autonomy in essential raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, in a context marked by global dependence on powers like China.

In this regard, the ISMC director highlighted how the cluster, headquartered in León and Seville, has established itself as a European benchmark in circular economy, digitalization applied to mining, and sustainability. It brings together more than 80 partner organizations, including companies, universities, research centers, and public administrations.

Castilla y León, a strategic hub in the energy transition

One of the key points of the interview was the role of Castilla y León in developing sustainable and innovative mining aligned with European green transition policies.
Santiago Cuesta-López stressed that the region has a modern and competitive mining ecosystem, capable of providing solutions to the growing demand for critical raw materials in strategic sectors such as renewable energy and electric mobility

The ISMC’s role in the new geopolitics of resources

The episode highlighted the value of the work the ISMC carries out at both national and international levels, leading European projects that aim to:

  • Reduce external dependence on critical resources.

  • Develop innovative technologies for the responsible extraction and processing of minerals.

  • Promote recycling and reuse within the framework of the circular economy.

  • Foster public-private collaboration as a driver of change.

Through these initiatives, the cluster strengthens Spain’s position as a strategic player in building a more sustainable and resilient Europe.

Listen to the full interview

The full episode of El Filón Podcast is available on YouTube and major audio platforms.
The ISMC invites all professionals, companies, and stakeholders in the sector to discover Santiago Cuesta-López’s insights on the challenges and opportunities of sustainable mining in today’s geopolitical landscape.

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COMPANIES

Technology Metals Europe S.L

Technology Metals Europe is part of the Welsbach Holdings group, a Singapore based company that focuses on providing direct social and financial capital to support the energy transition, by deploying funds and expertise in ventures that contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions, directly and indirectly.
Technology Metals Europe currently owns Villasrubias Lithium Project, a project located in the southwest corner of the province of Salamanca, Spain.

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Seguridad y Calidad Mineroambiental S.L

Engineering and technical assistance company that develops projects, offers advice, training and research in the field of mining, environment and occupational risk prevention.

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Saloro S.L

Saloro is a Spanish company dedicated to the production and marketing of tungsten, an industrial metal with a wide range of applications, which the European Union recognizes as a ‘Critical Raw Material’.
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Cualificados S.L

Consulting, training and education services for companies and workforce, particularly for the mining and public works sectors, as well as for the public administration.

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Pizarras La Baña S.A.

Pizarras La Baña S.A. was born on may 9, 1984 in La Baña (León) with Antonio Amable Martinez
as founder, a family business dedicated to the production and marketing of natural slate.
It has grown progressively to become a benchmark in the world market. Exporting to countries like Britain, France or Germany, and even encouraging new expansions to markets as demanding as the US. or Canada, now in the hands of his wife and founding partner Catalina Gonzalez Carbajo.
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Pizarras Matacouta, S.A.

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Perforaciones Noroeste S.A

Service company dedicated to the execution of all types of drilling and blasting projects, both in the field of mining and quarrying and in civil works of public or private initiative.

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Peal Hispania S.A.U

Service company dedicated to the execution of all types of drilling and blasting projects, both in the field of mining and quarrying and in civil works of public or private initiative

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Pasek Minerales

PASEK MINERALS is a company dedicated to mining exploitation belonging to the PASEK Group, since 1972, it has an open-pit exploitation in the area of the Geological Complex of Cabo Ortegal (Galicia), dedicated to the exploitation of the Dunita mineral (Magnesium Silicate)

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Partindus S.L.

Manufacturer and exporter of civil engineering and mining machinery. One of the largest exporters of construction, tunnels and mining machinery.

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Mining Sense Global S.L.

Consulting for mineral resources; specialised advice on project planning, economic models and strategic decisions.

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Magellan Barents, S.L.

MB is a disruptive innovation star-up. We formulate dense fluids from tailings ponds and by-products from mines and quarries for unconventional pumped hydro energy storage and for fluid dynamic or passive ballast for offshore wind turbines. We have tens of thousands of tons available in mines and quarries with large reserves and and outstanding management. We have been granted patents in China and the US for energy storage systems. Hemos obtenido las patentes para sistemas de almacenamiento de energía en Estados Unidos y China. MB teams up with miners such as PASEK Minerales, offshore enginnering companies such as Asturfeito, technology centers INTA and IDONIAL and UPC Michigan Tech universities. We are working with INTA on a 2 MW test installation in La Robla, León and on a commercial project with HUNOSA in Nicolasa coal pit in Mieres, Asturias.

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Lurpelan Tunnelling S.L

Design, calculation and construction of underground infrastructure, as well as execution of all kinds of blasting projects. Participation in large strategic infrastructure projects.

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Lain Technologies, S.L

At Lain Tech At Lain Tech we have developed a hydrometallurgical solution for the extraction of copper, zinc, cobalt, nickel, lead and precious. This novel process for the leaching of refractory minerals is mainly intended for the treatment of primary sulphides such as chalcopyrite, sphalerite, arsenopirite and galena, among others.

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Leonore Development S.L

Development and commercialisation of mining and trading projects for minerals, metals and products specialised in industrial metals, mainly iron.

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Kronergy

Kronergy is a newly created company, joining two former companies Servenergy and Kronem forming a multidisciplinary team with a long history in the sector. We have more than 20 years experience in the sector.
We offer a complete group of engineering services, energy saving studies, automation and adaptation to machinery safety that give us the ability to create and execute turnkey projects. We adapt to the needs of each of our customers. Our scope is throughout Spain without closing to realize projects abroad.

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Javier Madera García (Staub Ingeniería)

Consulting firm specialised in occupational risk prevention solutions. Among its customers are relevant national companies in several industrial sectors.

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IP Contrl S.L

firm for the mining safety administration and authorized control body for the inspection of mining waste facilities and rehabilitation of affected areas.

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COLLABORATING ENTITIES

Instituto para la Competitividad Empresarial
de Castilla y León

Institute attached to the Department of Economy and Finance of the Regional Government of Castilla y León focused on promoting the economic development and productivity of the region.

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Inproobras S.L

Inproobrasoffers specialised technical services to both public administrations and private companies in mining, environment, public works and safety.

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Ingeniería
y Seguridad Minera
de Baleares, S.L

Somos una empresa dedicada principalmente a la ingeniería y seguridad en minería, conformada por tres ingenieros que trabajan de manera coordinada y sinérgica, lo que permite incrementar el potencial de la empresa con el aporte diferenciado de cada miembro que la conforma.

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Hormigones del Sella, S.L

Belonging to the Candesa Group, we are one of the main groups dedicated to non-metallic open pit mining and its derivatives, with a powerful presence in the north-western quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula.

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Grupo
Hedisa Cor S.L

Business group whose industrial activity is oriented to two business units: the natural stone and construction sector, and engineering and manufacturing.

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Collaborating entities

Grupo
de Investigación TEP222
de la Universidad de Jaén

Research group belonging to the University of Jaén whose main lines of research are advanced materials, construction materials, geological-mining heritage, materials engineering and innovation.

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Global de Asesoramiento
y Aplicación Técnica, S.L

Ateglob is a company founded to provide solutions to various problems related to civil engineering in all areas. Our actions range from consulting to the design and construction of special parts or assemblies. Ateglob is also a company specialized in the consolidation of land, plugging of water routes and impemeabilization by injection of resins, giving solution to problems from consultation to execution, through the training of personnel
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Gevora Construcciones, S.A

GÉVORA is an activity oriented towards the construction of infrastructure, renewable energy projects, solid waste, water purification and treatment as well as the conservation and exploitation of large quarries.

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Gesminle S.L

Consulting, technical and legal assistance in mining, public works, special blasting and construction, both for public administrations and private companies.

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Geotecform

Geotecform is a consulting company in geotechnical modeling and training in topics related to geology, soil engineering, and environment.
In the field of training, we have been associated since 2016 with one of the leading international geotechnical software developers, the Canadian company Rocscience, to provide training about its software suite, with more than 16 programs for geotechnical modeling. civil works and mining.

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Geosense

Ggeological remote sensing consultancy

RESEARCH AND TECHOLOGY ORGANIZATIONS

Fundación ICAMCyL

International Centre for Advanced and Raw Materials in Castilla y León, focused on the development of a sustainable mining sector and the discovery of new advanced materials.

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COLABORATING ENTITIES

Escuela Politécnica Superior
de Ingeniería
de Manresa

College belonging to the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. They teach subjects related to mining, including the Mining Engineering Degree and the Master of Natural Resources Engineering.

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Equipos para minería
y construcciones S.A

Emico se dedica a la ingeniería, fabricación y distribución de equipos para minería y construcciones subterráneas (palas cargadoras neumáticas, locomotoras eléctricas, vagones, etc).

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EPC España Sílex S.L

Emico is dedicated to the engineering, manufacturing and distribution of mining and underground construction equipment (pneumatic loaders, electric locomotives, wagons, etc.).

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Envisuelos S.L

ENVISUELOS is the Spanish subsidiary of ENVISOL, a company specialized in consulting and engineering in the field of contaminated sites and soils. Its basic activity is aimed at diagnosing soil and groundwater pollution and consists of different services such as studies and engineering, technical assistance, audits and different types of consultancy.

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EcoCastulum

EcoCastulum is constituted as a multidisciplinary team of professionals, with the aim of giving companies the necessary support to circulate their by-products and industrial processes, developing new materials or products, as well as the substantial technological improvement of pre-existing processes or systems, so as to reduce the environmental impact of current ones, reducing the use of natural reserves and the approach to the Sustainable Development Goals.

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Durante Space Tech S.L.

High technology company for the development of materials and advanced propulsion systems for the automotive, aerospace and nautical industry.

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Cupa Pizarras S.A.

Cupa Pizarras is the world leader in the commercialisation, management and assembly of natural slate. One out of three slate roofs and facades installed worldwide are from Cupa.

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Cubicoff Ingeniería Abierta, S.L.

Engineering company focused on the personalized resolution of problems in the Industry, investigating its processes, analyzing the situation and, from the hands of high-level professionals, finding the key to solve technical needs.
We are focused on strategic Sectors such as Mining (Mining Services and Transformation Processes), Power Generation (CSP, Combined Cycle, PSFV, Biomass), Recovery Recycling (plastic, paper, cardboard) or Agroindustry Sector.
We like to define ourselves as a Practical Innovation for the Industry (Resolutive Engineering), backed by a wide network of expert specialists in providing solutions in the wide diversity of areas that can occur in Engineering.

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CRS Ingeniería

CRS Engineering offers engineering services for mining projects, including exploration, asset valuation, strategic planning, open pit and underground projects, and closure.

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Consultoría Geológica, S.L.

Dedicated to providing visionary environmental consulting, committed to sustainability, our goal is that companies, public administrations and society in general maximize the intrinsic value of natural resources, specifically, minerals, soil and water, and minimise the environmental, social and economic impact of inadequate management.

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PROFESIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Confederación Nacional
de Empresarios
de la Minería
y la Metalurgia

Non-profit, confederate, autonomous and independent association for the coordination of the socio-economic activities of the mining, metallurgy and transformation industries.

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companies

Comet Global Innovation

Research and development activities; business management consultancy in all types of projects and their development phases regarding engineering, research, and more.

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companies

Comercializadora Pizarras Santa Bárbara

C. Pizarras Santa Bárbara, S.L., is a newly created company, born from the union of companies with years of experience in the development of “turnkey” projects both nationally and internationally in different industrial sectors, financial and professional investors in the whiteboard sector.

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COLLABORATING ENTITIES

Colegio Oficial
de Ingenieros
de Minas del Centro de España

The Official College of Mining Engineers of the Centre of Spain is a professional college dedicated to the exclusive representation and defence of the professional interests of its members.

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COMPANIES

Cinclus Soluciones
S.L


Cinclus specializes in the restoration of degraded spaces, both by mining activities and altered by anthropic activities. Cinclus has been working as a multinational cement and mining consultant for 15 years. Numerous works have been carried out to restore quarries, gravel pits and mines. More than 20 in the last 5 years in 7 autonomous communities. To this end, Cinclus has its own personnel in the field, which allows comprehensive management from the conception of basic ideas, project development, processing, construction management and revegetation with criteria of habitat recovery and biodiversity promotion. In addition, the team has intervened in the mediation of conflicts in the cement factories of Montcada and Sagunto and has carried out Environmental Impact Studies and Restoration Projects in accordance with the norm.

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centros tecnológicos

Centro Tecnológico Pinacal Inser

Cantera Lacilla, S.L. is a family-owned company dedicated to extracting limestone aggregates that was founded in 1969, in the town of Sopuerta.
In a few years of strong demand for limestone aggregate, mainly destined to construction and concrete companies, Cantera Lacilla, S.L. was born to meet the needs that the market requested.
Along these 50 years of extractive experience, Cantera Lacilla, S.L. has been present in the most important construction projects: BEC, Port of Bilbao, Petronor, Winoa, … among others, while what characterizes us most is on the one hand the high quality of our products and on the other the bespoke service we offer to our customers

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companies

Cantera Lacilla, S.L

Cantera Lacilla, S.L. is a family-owned company dedicated to extracting limestone aggregates that was founded in 1969, in the town of Sopuerta.
In a few years of strong demand for limestone aggregate, mainly destined to construction and concrete companies, Cantera Lacilla, S.L. was born to meet the needs that the market requested.
Along these 50 years of extractive experience, Cantera Lacilla, S.L. has been present in the most important construction projects: BEC, Port of Bilbao, Petronor, Winoa, … among others, while what characterizes us most is on the one hand the high quality of our products and on the other the bespoke service we offer to our customers.

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companies

Candel Energía S.L

Candel Energía is a company dedicated to the commercialization, storage and screening of solid fuels. We also operate with minerals and biomass
At Candel Energia we respond to the needs of our customers by providing innovative products of guaranteed quality.

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companies

Berkeley Minera España S.L.U.

Mining company dedicated to exploration, research and exploitation of mineral deposits, particularly uranium and other metallic minerals.

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companies

Bench Ground S.L

Intermediation in consulting, technical and legal assistance in mining, public works, special blasting and construction, for public and private entities.

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COMPANIES

AYMAR, S.A.U

AYMAR S.A.U is a company dedicated to the manufacture of mortars, concretes and crushed marble aggregates, where quality standards are applied to meet at all times the specifications and requirements of our customers, based mainly on the regularity of service, homogeneity, innovation and constant improvement of our products, as well as compliance with current regulations.
The production and distribution takes place in the Plant that we have in Sant Celoni (Barcelona), where we crush and classify the marble that we extract from our quarries, and from which we manufacture the mortars and concretes.
In the plant located in the city of Meknes in Morocco, through the joint venture “AZ mortier du Maroc”, we manufacture industrial mortars and distribute construction materials for the North African catchment area

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COMPANIES

ATALAYA MINING

Atalaya Mining is a fast-growing AIM and TSX-listed mining and development company which produces copper concentrates and silver by-product at its wholly owned Proyecto Riotinto site in southwest Spain, and is currently undertaking further expansion. In addition, the Company has a phased, earn-in agreement to acquire up to 80% ownership of Proyecto Touro, a brownfield copper project in the northwest of Spain which is at the permitting stage.

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COMPANIES

Auditoría Técnica
y Gestión S.L.U.

Technical engineering services, intermediation for technical audits, implementation of quality standards and environmental impact studies for mining.

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PROFESIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

AINDEX

NATIONAL BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS OF SPANNISH PRODUCERS OF INDUSTRIAL MINERALS

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MEMBERS

Asistencias Técnicas Clave S.L.

Clave is a consulting company specialized in advising and providing services for large public (local, regional, national and European) and private organizations

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COMPANIES

Asesoría jurídica S.L

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Amphos 21 Consulting S.L.

Scientific, technical and strategic consulting in the environment and quality sectors for the nuclear, mining, water resources, oil and gas, and sustainability industries.

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asociaciones profesionales

Aminer

The Association of Research Companies, Extractors, Miner-Metallurgical Transformers, Auxiliary and Services – AMINER is the non-profit organization representing the main companies in the metal mining sector and its associated auxiliary fabric in Andalusia, defending their interests and making known the benefits for the economy of developing a sustainable mining activity.
In its ten years of life, AMINER has carried out an intense activity of dialogue with Public Administrations and other national and international sectoral and professional organizations, while bringing citizens closer, through various initiatives, the current reality of mining based on innovation and respect for the environment in which extractive companies operate.

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MEMBERS

AiteminLE Ingeniería y Riesgos

AiteminLE offers solutions for mining and tunnels, including design, integral ventilation projects, risk assessment, training in self-protection and emergency drills.

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MEMBERS

Advanced Minerals Processing S.L.

AMP stans out as a global provider of efficient process systems and plants for mining of metals, industrial minerals, aggregates, recycling and environmental industries.

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MEMBERS

MINEPRO SOLUTIONS, S.L.

We are a company specialized in process engineering and the development of mining projects. Our team includes personnel with over 20 years of experience, who are sufficiently trained to execute any stage of a mining project, from mineral deposit interpretation to the commissioning of facilities, covering all intermediate engineering stages such as laboratory or pilot plant testing, plant process design, as well as construction, supervision, and commissioning.

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MEMBERS

CJ SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS, SLU

CJ Solutions is a boutique consultancy where we help you design and get the most value from your strategies in the areas of sustainability, safety, health and the environment. We have more than 20 years of experience in different sectors, which we now apply at CJ Solutions, in a personalized way and adapted to your project.

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COMPANIES

Minas de Estaño de España

Minas de Estaño de España is a wholly owned subsidiary of Elementos Limited – an Australian tin mining company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX: ELT).

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