The former mining area of Vales is located in the civil parish of Maceira, in the municipality of Fornos de Algodres, district of Guarda.
The Vales mine was first operated in 1922 by Société Urane-Radium (SUR) for the production of radium concentrates in an adjacent Chemical Treatment Workshop (CTW), which is currently in ruins.
In 1957, the Nuclear Energy Board (NEB), began the second phase of operations for the production of uranium concentrates, with reconnaissance and extraction operations starting for the two ore heaps. In each one, a vertical master shaft, chimneys and galleries were opened reaching depths of 70 m and 30 m.
Besides occasional subsidence in the underground works, spoil heaps of mining waste can still be found on the surface.
The services to be carried out in this mining area consist of the following main activities:
The investment is co-financed by the Cohesion Fund and will allow the environmental liabilities resulting from mining at this location to be resolved, bringing benefits to local populations through the improvement of current conditions and use of the areas reclaimed for other ends.
Vista geral após recuperação ambiental (final view)
