In March, the company Rare Earth Energy Metals Pty Ltd applied to test drill in the Ekebol area, approximately 500 hectares in the municipality of Bengtsfors and at Stora strand in the municipality of Åmål on approximately 340 hectares.
At the beginning of autumn, the State of Norway granted the applications and the company will now be allowed to test drill.
- The activity will be limited to defining the project and we cannot say much at the moment.
By March, we estimate that we will know more, writes Erik Lundstam, representative of the company in an SMS to SVT.
Great interest in copper, silver and gold
In its application, the company describes that in the areas there are two more than 20 kilometers long copper and silver mineralized formations.
They write that after a diamond drilling in the 1980s in Dingelvik and test drilling at Hennevik, they opened their eyes to the new areas.
Previous sampling has focused on copper and silver, which means that it is not known what other minerals may be there and that there could potentially also be gold.
Is a long process
According to Helena Kjellson at Bergsstaten, several permits are required before you can open a mining operation, even if you have received an exploration permit.
But this means that you have exclusive rights to the area.
Before you can start drilling or digging, a work plan is needed - which must be approved by the property owner or determined by the Mining State.
- There are relatively many research permits spread across Sweden.
Investigation work is ongoing on various scales, everything from going out and walking in the forest and checking rocks to drilling.
But it's a long way from exploratory drilling to mining, says Helena Kjellson.
In the clip, Stig Bertilson, municipal councilor in Bengtsfors, talks about what he thinks the area means for Dalsland.