Sweden wants to secure its own mining of cobalt – the largest deposit in Rönnbäcken

Today, none of these strategic metals are mined in Sweden.

But the directors general of the Energy Agency, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Sweden's Geological Survey (SGU) now write in a joint government report that it is "of great importance to scale up the supply of raw materials".

- The rapid development means a lack of access to raw materials and a strategic independence for the EU is becoming increasingly important based on the geopolitical situation.

We therefore need to ensure the availability of the sustainable raw materials needed for battery manufacturing within the EU, says Anneli Wirtén, director general at SGU.

Rönnbäcken would yield the most cobalt

The EU's forecasts show that the member states will need up to 18 times more lithium and five times more cobalt to reach the climate goal in 2030. Looking further ahead than that, the needs are expected to be even greater.

Graphite deposits are found in several places in the Nordic region, while lithium is rarer.

Cobalt, which is in demand from Northvolt's factory in Skellefteå, among other things, has mainly been found in a number of places in Västerbotten.

The head of unit at SGU, Erika Ingvald, singles out the disputed deposits in Rönnbäcken as the most interesting in the country.

- Rönnbäcken is the largest deposit and would yield the most cobalt.

If mining companies want to mine, they want deposits that contain as much cobalt as possible per ton of rock.

Several obstacles can stop the mine

But it is still very uncertain if there will be a mine outside Tärnaby.

In addition to major local resistance and protests from the UN, extensive work awaits to submit, among other things, an application for an environmental permit.

Both the mining industry and Erika Ingvald believe that long processes where the news cannot be predicted slow down exploitation.

- Companies must be able to rely on faster and more transparent permit processes.

It must be clearer what the authorities require for documentation.

The problem for Sweden now is the permit process, it scares companies away.