The Mina Doade lithium project in Galicia, northwest Spain, has been designated a Strategic Project by the European Union under the Critical Raw Materials Act, placing it among 47 projects selected in the first strategic list as the bloc moves to build domestic supply chains for materials essential to the automotive, technology and industrial sectors.
The designation, awarded to project developer Recursos Minerales de Galicia S.A., reflects both the strategic importance of lithium to European industry and the supply risk associated with the metal — a risk assessed as high given the concentration of global production in a limited number of countries and the material’s limited substitutability in applications such as EV batteries.
Under the CRMA framework, which entered into force in May 2024, Strategic Project status unlocks significant practical advantages. Projects on the list gain access to accelerated permitting processes, with approvals available within a maximum of 27 months, and receive priority consideration for financing. These streamlined procedures are designed to close the gap between Europe’s geological potential and its current near-total dependence on imported lithium, almost entirely refined in China.
Spain holds significant lithium resources across Galicia, Extremadura and Castilla y León, and sits alongside northern Portugal as one of the Iberian Peninsula’s most promising lithium jurisdictions. The Doade-Beariz area in Galicia has been identified as one of the most prospective sites, and the project’s inclusion on the EU’s first strategic list is seen as confirmation of its technical quality and alignment with European sustainability and supply security objectives.
