Energy ministry has twice blocked approval of Salamanca mine
Australia’s Berkeley Energia said on Friday it had filed a memorial of claim for about $1.25bn (€1.06bn) against Spain at the World Bank’s arbitration tribunal, up from a previous request, over the blocked Retortillo uranium project near Salamanca in western Spain.
The mining group said in a statement its unit, Berkeley Exploration, filed the claim with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and has included factual background on the project and the dispute, key witness statements, an assessment of damages, and other reports.
A memorial of claim is a comprehensive written submission used in international arbitration to detail a party’s legal argument.
The company initially filed a request for arbitration in May 2024 to seek $1bn in damages from the Spanish government after it refused to grant final approval for its uranium mine project.
The project received preliminary approval in 2013, but Spain’s Energy Ministry refused final approval in 2021 and again in 2023.
Berkeley had accused the government in 2024 of infringing on its rights under the Energy Charter Treaty, an international agreement designed to promote energy security through a more open and competitive energy market.
Spain has until July 2026 to respond to the memorial of claim, the company said in a statement on 6 February.
According to Berkeley Energia, the Retortillo project could produce 4.4 million pounds of uranium a year at its peak during its planned 14 years of operation, although the company is searching for more deposits and that lifetime could yet be extended.
First uranium production had originally been expected in the middle of 2019 following about 12 months of construction and six months of commissioning.
