Rare earths: the "largest known deposit" in Europe would have been discovered in Sweden
The Swedish town of Kiruna in front of the iron deposit, the largest in Europe.
© Flickr/Chas B/CC by 2.0
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The Swedish mining group LKAB announced on Thursday January 12 that it had identified in the Kiruna region, in the Far North of Sweden, "
the largest known deposit
" of rare earths in Europe, which would contain more than one million tonnes of metals.
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This discovery is important at a time when Europe is concerned about its dependence, in particular on China, the world's largest producer, for the supply of these minerals which are used in particular to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles and wind turbines.
"
This is the largest known deposit of rare earth elements in our part of the world, and it could become an important building block for the production of the critical raw materials absolutely crucial for the green transition
", welcomed the CEO of the public group LKAB, Jan Moström, in a press release.
“
We are facing a supply problem.
Without mines, there cannot be electric vehicles
,” he argued.
According to preliminary estimates, the Kiruna deposit, a major mining region in the Scandinavian country, contains more than “
one million tonnes of rare earth oxides
”, but the company stresses that it has not yet quantified its exact magnitude.
New exploration results from the Per Geijer ore body in Kiruna shows mineral resources of rare earth elements of more than a million tons, making it Europe's largest deposit of its kind.
Learn more: https://t.co/YBcKR4FwUa pic.twitter.com/ss6teczvl6
— LKAB (@LKABgroup) January 12, 2023
► To read also:
China: birth of a rare earth giant
A very long-term vision
"
A long way
" remains to be traveled before being put into operation, warned LKAB.
“
We expect it will take several years to study the deposit and the conditions for profitable and sustainable exploitation
,” said Moström.
Asked at a press conference about the expected date of the first pickaxes, he replied that it would largely depend on the speed of obtaining the exploitation permits, specifying that experience showed that it would probably take "
between 10 and 15 years old
.
Chairman and CEO of Swedish mining company LKAB Jan Mostrom (left) and Swedish Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry Ebba Busch attend a press conference at LKAB in Kiruna, in Sweden, January 12, 2023. AFP - JONAS EKSTROMER
► To read also:
The European Union will constitute strategic reserves in rare earths and lithium
"
The electrification, self-sufficiency and independence of the EU vis-à-vis Russia and China will start in the mine
," said the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy. and Swedish Energy, Ebba Busch.
This announcement was made during a visit by a delegation from the European Commission to Sweden, which has held the rotating presidency of the EU since the beginning of the year.
Among its efforts to curb global warming, Brussels announced last year the end of sales of new gasoline and diesel cars from 2035.
► Read also:
Canada embarks on the exploitation of rare earths
(with
AFP
)
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