Spain is sitting on the largest unmined gold reserve in Europe

Gold is one of the most valuable metals in the world, whose value is very high due to the difficulty in obtaining it. Most of it is found in the Earth's core and is extracted by the force of water during earthquakes. However, the largest untouched gold reserve in Europe is in Spain but nobody dares to touch it.

Specifically, it is located in Tapia de Casariego (Asturias) on the northwest coast of Spain. It is estimated that under the Salave lagoons, there is 30 tons of gold with a value of almost two billion euros, a very high figure that would represent 10% of the gold reserves held by the Bank of Spain.

These reserves have remained intact for more than 2,000 years, without anyone daring to touch them, and even though several projects have been presented to extract the metal from this deposit to date none have gone ahead.

Opinions in the town are divided about whether it is a good idea to extract the gold or not. Those against it created the 'Oro No' association almost two decades ago. A representative said:

“People live from livestock, fishing, and the tourism sector. With the exploitation of the mine, the heavy metals coming from it would affect all these sectors. Not to mention the landscape impact that it would produce, which would reduce tourism by creating a negative image of the area."

On the other side, the 'Idoa' association is in favour of mining, alleging that it would create many jobs in the area and stimulate the local economy: "It is necessary to settle the population and the best way is to generate industry so that young people do not go to work in other places”, said Mada Gómez, the president.

The company Exploraciones Mineras del Cantábrico (EMC) has made a request to extract the gold, ensuring that there will be no impact on the environment, although the first few months might be a little rough, the effects would be "minimally invasive."

“The project is awaiting environmental assessment and now we have to wait and let the officials make a decision. A completely different project has been presented that has solved the environmental impact problems detected in the past, such as the one that affected the water", said the company in a statement.