Orovalle Minerals, the Spanish subsidiary of the Canadian company Orvana, has applied for a gold, silver and copper research permit in the councils of Tineo, Allande and Cangas del Narcea. The company, which operates the precious metal mines of El Valle-Boins (Belmonte de Miranda) and Carls (Salas), will search for gold, silver and copper in 287 mining grids .

The Ministry of Industry, Employment and Economic Promotion published yesterday in the Official Gazette of the Principality the announcement of definitive admission of the research permit –named Luca– presented by Oravalle Minerals for land in the councils of Tineo, Cangas del Narcea and Allande. The appropriate public information period is now opening for the presentation of allegations within a period of thirty business days counted from the one following their publication in the Official State Gazette.

The Coordinadora Ecoloxista d'Asturies already announced yesterday that it will present allegations . He questions that the regional government continues to authorize "chopped" mining projects to obtain precious metals in the southwestern region of the region with the aim of making them appear "less aggressive" despite the fact that, as a whole, it is "a mega-mine" that affects million meters of the area.

The group highlights that in those same councils there are already other mining projects underway by the same company and that there are currently 28 projects in force in search of gold in Asturias that affect an area of more than 750 million square meters in sixteen councils (Lena, Morcn, Quirs, Riosa, Proaza, Tineo, Allande, Cangas Narcea, Ibias, Belmonte, Valds, Castropol, Boal, Illano, El Franco and Tapia).