Swedish state-owned mining group LKAB has received a permit from the country’s Land and Environmental Court to continue and expand mining and processing operations at Malmberget in Gällivare.
The decision has been described as significant for the ongoing development and future of the 135-year-old mining site.
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The permit covers existing extraction as well as plans for growth, including measures aimed at reducing the environmental impact on air and water in the area.
It also allows LKAB to establish a demonstration plant to produce fossil-free sponge iron and build a new facility for processing apatite.
According to the company, the production of apatite concentrate will support its planned industrial park in Luleå, where the material will be used to extract both phosphorus for mineral fertilisers, and rare earth elements (REEs).
These components are used in products such as electric vehicles and wind turbines, and in the defence sector.
LKAB president and CEO Johan Menckel said: “At last, we have a ruling in place. We now need to review it and assess how to proceed. We operate in a time of major challenges and uncertainty, where it is crucial to gradually create better conditions for conducting and developing our operations.
“For us, this is not just about opportunities to grow and develop but about being able to continue mining operations at all.”
The mineral resources identified at Malmberget have increased in recent years and total more than two billion tonnes (bt).
This figure exceeds the total quantity that the company has extracted since it began mining in 1890.
Alongside deposits of high-grade iron ore, the area also contains significant reserves of phosphorus and REEs.
LKAB Malmberget area manager Monika Sammelin said: “This enables us to contribute to reduced carbon emissions from iron and steel production, while also allowing us to implement concrete environmental improvements locally.”
