Eurobattery Minerals has advanced the Tungsten San Juan project in A Gudiña, Galicia, into a more operational development phase with the appointment of Alba Valle Pajares as Directora Facultativa, the technical manager responsible for mining operations.
Pajares will work alongside recently appointed project director Pedro Jiménez de Francisco as part of a permanent on-site management structure focused on mine planning, mineral processing, safety, supplier coordination and preparation for industrial operations. The appointments mark a shift for the project from licensing, financing and corporate development activities toward operational execution ahead of the company’s targeted production timeline.
Mining and Processing Experience Added to Project Leadership
Pajares brings operational experience from CEMEX Spain, Cementos Portland and Cupa Pizarras, with responsibilities covering mine supervision, mineral processing, occupational health and safety and management of operational teams. Jiménez de Francisco contributes tungsten-specific experience from the Barruecopardo tungsten mine in Salamanca, where he served as plant manager.
The combination of mining and processing expertise is intended to strengthen project-level capabilities as Eurobattery Minerals progresses toward potential production.
Ownership Increase and Financing Support San Juan Development
Eurobattery Minerals recently increased its ownership interest in Tungsten San Juan from 51% to 58.58% through a €700,000 debt-to-equity conversion, expanding its majority position in the project.
The ownership increase was followed by the announcement of a SEK 60 million convertible bond facility with Loft Capital. The financing includes an initial SEK 10 million drawdown, with funds allocated toward the San Juan tungsten project, the Hautalampi battery mineral project in Finland and general working capital requirements.
Metallurgical Testing to Define Processing Design
The development strategy for San Juan depends heavily on metallurgical performance and processing design. Earlier in 2026, Eurobattery Minerals delivered approximately 1,000 kg of wolfram-bearing material for advanced metallurgical testing with SLR Consulting in the United Kingdom.
The programme is being coordinated with Minepro Solutions, which is responsible for the final engineering design of the processing plant. Testing activities include crushing, classification, grade distribution analysis and gravity-based recovery studies. Results are expected in Q3 2026 and are intended to guide the final processing flowsheet, plant configuration, recovery assumptions, tailings characteristics and commissioning requirements.
Tungsten Project Linked to European Critical Minerals Strategy
Tungsten is classified by the European Commission as a critical raw material, placing San Juan within the broader European effort to strengthen domestic supply chains for strategic minerals. The EU Critical Raw Materials Act establishes 2030 targets requiring the bloc to achieve at least 10% domestic extraction, 40% processing capacity and 25% recycling capacity for strategic raw materials.
Within this framework, Eurobattery Minerals is positioning San Juan as a potential Spanish tungsten source supporting supply chains linked to hard metals, industrial tooling, defence applications and advanced manufacturing.
Project Moves Toward Execution Phase
The next stage of San Juan’s development will focus on engineering completion, plant procurement, metallurgical validation, capital management, offtake arrangements and preparation for commissioning. The project now has increased ownership control, dedicated operational management, financing access and a defined production objective targeting Q1 2027. The coming development period will determine whether the project can progress from a permitted tungsten asset into an operating mine and processing facility capable of producing tungsten concentrate.
