San Nicolás Coal Mine
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San Nicolás Coal Mine is a retired coal mine in Mieres, Asturias, Spain.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| San Nicolás Coal Mine | Mieres, Asturias, Spain | 43.252355, -5.818375 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retired[1] | – | 1855[1] | 2023 |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 0.071[2] | 2022[2] | Underground[3] | – | – | 494* | 514* |
Table 4: Coal resources and destination
| Total Reserves (Mt) | Year of Total Reserves Recorded | Total Resources (Mt) | Coalfield | Coal Type | Coal Grade | Primary Consumer/ Destination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | – | Bituminous | Thermal | La Pereda Hunosa power station |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Hulleras del Norte S.A[4] | Hulleras del Norte S.A [100%] | Spain |
Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker April 2024 release and the September supplement.
Background
San Nicolás Coal Mine was an underground coal mine in the province of Asturias, Spain.[5] The San Nicolas coal mine in Spain's northern Asturias region was the last working coal mine in Spain.[6]
In 2019-2021, the production forecast for the mine was 160,000 tonnes.[7]
In 2022, the coal mine delivered 71,263 tonnes to La Pereda Hunosa power station.[8]
Mine Closure
To align with broader climate and energy goals, in 2010, the European Commission mandated that all Member States end state subsidies for uncompetitive hard coal mines, and also assigned a closure deadline of December 31, 2018 for these .[9] For Spain, these EU rules on state aid meant that a total of 26 mines would be required to close by 2018 year end.[10]
Because the San Nicolás mine was not included in this number, it survived as the last active coal extraction site in Spain. Due to Spain's 2030 target for complete coal phaseout, however, the mine was still slated for closure by 2021. Limited operations were actually continued beyond this timeframe, as San Nicolás received several extensions to continue supplying coal locally to the nearby La Pereda Hunosa power station.[11][8][7]
However, in December 2024, the mine permanently closed.[12][13][14] Its closure ended two centuries of coal mining in the Asturias basin.
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240202191321/https://elperiodicodelaenergia.com/el-unico-pozo-abierto-en-espana-aun-recuerda-la-ultima-gran-tragedia-minera/. Archived from the original on 02 February 2024.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.elcomercio.es/area-metropolitana-asturias/cuencas/nicolasa-produjo-71263-toneladas-carbon-2022-quemar-20231220013656-nt.html?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.elcomercio.es%2Farea-metropolitana-asturias%2Fcuencas%2Fnicolasa-produjo-71263-toneladas-carbon-2022-quemar-20231220013656-nt.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240202190803/https://www.mieres.es/turismo/patrimonio/patrimonio-industrial/pozo-san-nicolas/. Archived from the original on 02 February 2024.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240216233450/https://www.hunosa.es/sobre-nosotros/. Archived from the original on 16 February 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Lucía Benavides, "Spain's coal miners continue to wait for their country's 'Green New Deal', The World, August 16, 2019
- ↑ "The last coal miners in Spain". edition.cnn.com. March 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 "La inesperada prórroga a la minería del carbón en Asturias: Nicolasa, El Batán y La Pereda, funcionando y sin prejubilaciones". www.lavozdeasturias.es. December 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Nicolasa produjo 71.263 toneladas de carbón en 2022 para quemar en La Pereda". www.elcomercio.es. December 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ State aid: Commission proposes Council Regulation on State aid to close uncompetitive coal mines, European Commission website, 20 July 2010.
- ↑ Spain: Coal Industry Across Europe, 6th edition, Euracoal website, Accessed July 2026.
- ↑ "La mina sigue siendo negra: es el sector más peligroso de Asturias, pese a la caída de la actividad". www.lne.es. August 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "La minería da empleo a 1.700 asturianos, pese a la ya testimonial presencia del carbón", El Comercio, 7 April 2025.
- ↑ Paul Reyes, "The Last Days and Afterlife of the San Nicolás Mine", Virginia Quarterly Review, 24 April 2026.
- ↑ Museo del Pueblo de Asturias, La noticia del cierre del último pozo de minería vertical que quedaba en Asturias, el pozo San Nicolás o Nicolasa..., Facebook, 26 Dec 2024.
