Australian mining group Berkeley Energia said on 28 May it had filed proceedings to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes seeking $1bn (€919m) in preliminary compensation from the Spanish government after it refused to give final approval for a major uranium mine project in northwest Spain.

The Retortillo uranium project in the Salamanca region, Berkeley’s main asset, received a preliminary approval in 2013 but has since run into hurdles, including opposition from nearby communities and safety concerns from regulatory authorities.

in November 2021, the company said it had received formal notification from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (Miteco) that it had rejected the authorisation for construction.