LKAB did not call the owners of energy wells for specific consultations in the spring of 2017 prior to the work on the environmental permit application, which includes LKAB's entire operations in Kiruna.
This is the reason why the application has been rejected without even coming up for review in the Land and Environmental Court.
The higher instance, the Supreme Land and Environmental Court, came to the same conclusion on Thursday.
Critical of the court's decision
Niklas Johansson is strongly critical of the court's position.
He believes that the news that a specific consultation with energy well owners was a prerequisite for the process came late.
The court also considered that the deficiencies could not be rectified retrospectively.
- Here we have invested years and a hundred million kronor and then they come to the conclusion that we made a mistake from the beginning, he says.
The company: The changeover may be delayed
LKAB is considering appealing to the Supreme Court and has at the same time started working on a new permit application.
According to Niklas Johansson, LKAB's own plans to switch to fossil-free operations risk being delayed.
But what he describes as slow and unpredictable environmental tests and permit processes can delay the entire transition in the north.
Hear him explain more in the video above.