Mining in Portugal

Mining in Portugal is regulated by the Portuguese Ministry of Economy and the Geology and Energy Resources authority under the state-run research institute INETI. Mining activities have continued since the pre-Roman era, when most of the region was known as Lusitania. Gold was once mined. The country remains among the largest European producers of copper and minerals. Portugal's non-ferrous metal ore mining industry had a market size of €580.1 million in 2024, ranking 8th in Europe by revenue.^[1]

Portugal is the 7th-largest producer of copper (37,900 tonnes in 2021) and second-largest producer of zinc (160,000 tonnes in 2020) in the European Union, and is also the 10th largest global producer of tungsten and tin.^[2] However, the country lacks hydrocarbon exploration potential, as well as iron, aluminium or coal. The most prominent mines in the country are Neves-Corvo, Panasqueira and Mua.

Lithium is another important resource, with new deposits for the battery industry in development^[3][4][5], although these are subject to environmental concerns.^[6] The state-owned Empresa de Desenvolvimento Mineiro is involved in the environmental rehabilitation of abandoned mines.^[7]