Castro Verde, Portugal, May 12, 2026 (Lusa) - The construction of a solar farm at the Neves-Corvo mine in Portugal's Beja district will resume "in the coming weeks," after a court rejected the Public Prosecutor's Office lawsuit against the project.
The Beja Administrative and Tax Court (TAFB) decision was reported on Monday by the online edition of the Expresso newspaper and, on Tuesday, confirmed to Lusa by Boliden Somincor, the mine's concessionaire in the Alentejo town of Castro Verde.
"Boliden Somincor was duly notified of the TAFB decision," a company official said, reiterating that the firm "always acted in strict compliance with applicable legislation, collaborating transparently with all entities throughout the process."
He added that the lawsuit "suspended work on the solar farm, hindering the project's development."
However, "work will resume in the coming weeks as soon as all necessary conditions are met," he added.
The Public Prosecutor's Office challenged the construction of the solar farm at the Neves-Corvo mine, Portugal's largest for self-consumption, claiming the project did not comply with the local land-use plan (PDM).
The lawsuit, filed on 9 March, named the Castro Verde city council, the environment and energy ministry, the cabinet minister's office and the state legal centre as defendants.
The court cited the mine's concessionaire, Boliden Somincor, as an interested party.
A council official also confirmed on Tuesday that the city "received the judge's order from the TAFB authorising [Boliden] Somincor to continue work."
"We entirely respect the decision, which fully meets our expectations regarding this process," he said.
Expresso reported that the Public Prosecutor’s Office "did not withdraw the action, which remains before the court."
"Following a request from the counterparty [Somincor], the court decided to lift the suspension of works, and the Public Prosecutor's Office is studying legal ways to react to this decision," the source added.
Boliden Somincor announced the solar farm project on 23 February in partnership with EDP and Greenvolt.
The new self-consumption production unit (UPAC) has a capacity of 49 megawatts-peak (MWp) and will "significantly speed up Boliden Somincor’s energy autonomy and control".
The unit will be built at the Neves da Graça estate, covering "about 55 hectares."
Once operational, it will be able to produce "nearly 100 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy a year.”
The company did not reveal the amount of the investment.
The company said it began developing the project more than a year ago and hired about 200 people during the process, contributing to local employment.
"The solar farm is a strategic project for Somincor, part of its decarbonisation plan to strengthen mining sustainability," an official told Lusa on Tuesday.
The same source said the investment aimed “to increase the operation’s energy autonomy, reduce its carbon footprint and support the region’s energy transition, aligning Neves-Corvo with international best practices in the mining sector and with Boliden group environmental commitments.”
Once operational, EDP will manage the new solar farm next to the Neves-Corvo mine for 12 years.
The Neves-Corvo mine mainly produces copper and zinc concentrates, as well as silver and lead.
It is Europe's largest zinc mine and the sixth-largest copper mine, with about 2,000 workers.
CYMP/LYT // ADB.
Lusa
