HUNOSA 2019-2022: Parliament Demands Improvements in Management and Energy Transformation

Key data

The Joint Committee for Relations with the Court of Auditors has approved the audit report of Hulleras del Norte, SA (HUNOSA) for the fiscal years 2019 to 2022, within the framework of the execution of its Business Plan. The resolution, adopted on April 16, 2026 and published in the BOE on June 9, 2026, identifies significant deficiencies and launches a set of specific demands to three actors: HUNOSA as a public company, the Central Government and the Government of the Principality of Asturias.

The most critical element identified is the delay in transforming the La Pereda Thermal Power Plant into a biomass plant, which constitutes the industrial axis of the company's Business Plan. This delay compromises the company's energy transition roadmap and is the point on which Parliament demands greater urgency from the Executive.

What does this regulation establish?

The resolution approved by the Joint Committee articulates a set of mandates differentiated according to the recipient. Below are all the requirements included in the report:

The Court of Auditors' report covers four consecutive fiscal years (2019-2022) and analyzes the execution of HUNOSA's Business Plan, which is the company's roadmap for its transition from coal mining to alternative industrial and energy activities. The deficiencies detected are not minor: they affect both internal financial management and the company's most ambitious energy transformation project.

Economic and operational impact

The audit reveals that HUNOSA has not executed its Business Plan with the required efficiency during the 2019-2022 period. The operational and economic consequences of the deficiencies detected can be grouped into three dimensions:

• Structural financial imbalance: Parliament explicitly urges adjusting expenses to income, which indicates that the company has operated with a mismatch between both figures during the audited period. Optimization of structural costs is a direct requirement derived from this diagnosis.
• Delay in La Pereda transformation: The conversion of the La Pereda Thermal Power Plant into a biomass plant is the central industrial project of the Business Plan. Its delay not only compromises HUNOSA's income diversification but also the energy transition commitments assumed by the public company.
• Training gap: The requirement for greater investment in training in renewable energies, cybersecurity and environmental management reflects that the current workforce is not sufficiently prepared for the post-mining activities planned in the strategic plan.

From the perspective of employment and territory, the mandate to the Asturian Government to participate in the Industrial Promotion Plan has a direct impact on the generation of alternative employment in the Central Asturian Basin, the area historically most dependent on coal mining.

Who does it affect?

• HUNOSA (Hulleras del Norte, SA, S.M.E.): As the directly audited company, it must implement the required management changes, cost adjustment, training and diversification.
• Central Government: Obligated to guarantee the viability of the La Pereda transformation project into a biomass plant.
• Government of the Principality of Asturias: Must actively participate in the Industrial Promotion Plan for the Central Asturian Basin.
• Workers in the Asturian mining sector: Affected by decisions on alternative employment, training and diversification of post-mining activities.
• Companies in the Asturian industrial environment: The Industrial Promotion Plan can generate opportunities for private companies that participate in the economic diversification of the mining basin.

Practical example

Imagine that HUNOSA has planned in its Business Plan that the La Pereda Thermal Power Plant, once transformed into a biomass plant, will begin generating income from the sale of renewable energy. While that project remains stalled due to the delays detected, the company continues to bear the structural costs associated with those facilities without the expected compensatory income. The result is exactly the imbalance between expenses and income that Parliament demands be corrected.

At the same time, if a HUNOSA worker trained in coal mining needs to reorient toward the maintenance of biomass facilities or toward environmental management of new projects, the training gap detected in the audit means that this conversion is not happening at the necessary speed. The requirement for greater investment in specialized technical training in renewable energies, cybersecurity and environmental management seeks precisely to close that gap before the new diversification projects are operational.

What should companies do now?

1. If you are HUNOSA or manage its strategy: Immediately review the status of the La Pereda transformation project into a biomass plant and identify the obstacles causing the delay, so you can present an action plan to the Central Government.
2. If you are HUNOSA — finance area: Conduct a structural cost analysis to identify items susceptible to optimization and develop an adjustment plan that aligns expenses with actual income, in direct response to Parliament's demands.
3. If you are HUNOSA — HR and training area: Design a specialized technical training plan covering the three identified areas: renewable energies, cybersecurity and environmental management. This plan must be aligned with the post-mining activities planned.
4. If you are the Government of the Principality of Asturias: Activate or strengthen participation in the Industrial Promotion Plan for the Central Asturian Basin, with concrete measures to generate alternative employment to coal mining.
5. If you are a private company in the Asturian industrial environment: Monitor the development of the Industrial Promotion Plan and HUNOSA's new diversification projects, as they can generate opportunities for collaboration, subcontracting or joint investment in the renewable energy and biomass sector.

Official source

Consult complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-12493