Once treated and refined, this material could reach a market price of €130/ton. URBAS plans to progressively exploit the deposit, which guarantees recurring cash generation, as well as increasing its processing capacity in the search for greater profitability and the achievement of higher added value for the products sold.
URBAS will take advantage of the synergies with its construction company MURIAS, which will participate with its specialized technical personnel and machinery in the exploitation of the deposit. In addition, its entry into operation will contribute to stimulate the labor market of the region with the generation of more than twenty jobs.
In addition to the progressive exploitation of seams and the search for new deposits, and in line with what was previously mentioned, URBAS is also considering the opening of a processing plant and the improvement of sales and distribution channels due to the strategic value of feldspar in the Spanish industry.
Feldspar is a mineral necessary for the manufacture of ceramic tiles and in the glass sector, among other applications. With 94% of national production concentrated in the province of Castellón, Spain is the leading tile producer in Europe and the fifth largest in the world.
However, domestic feldspar production (more than 900,000 tons) cannot meet the demand of the ceramic floor and wall tile industry (almost 3.5 million tons), so imports are necessary. In fact, Spain is also the main importer of feldspar (mainly from Turkey), ahead of Italy and India, with about 2.7 tons per year (Data ‘Mining Statistics’, M. Ecological Transition).
In this sense, the Silan deposit is configured as a national and sustainable alternative to imports, especially in the current international situation affected by the increase in energy prices, the price of raw materials and delays in the supply chain.
It is very likely that the production of the Silán field will be destined for domestic consumption, although other markets are not ruled out. In fact, URBAS is already in advanced talks with Spanish and Portuguese ceramic companies interested in the production of Silán due to its important supply capacity and the obvious savings in transportation costs by having feldspar closer to their factories and of higher quality, which will further strengthen and improve their competitiveness.
Prior to the resolution of final approval of the site, URBAS has been obtaining all the relevant favorable reports, permits, licenses and authorizations from the Xunta de Galicia, that is, from the Ministries of Economy, Industry and Innovation (Mining Management Service), Environment (Land Management, Land Studies, Environmental Quality, Natural Heritage), Rural Environment (Plant Health, Agricultural Infrastructures), and Culture and Tourism (Cultural Heritage, Tourism of Galicia).
