Large deposits of rare earths discovered – Sweden celebrates sensational find Landlords are stingy with charging stations – Switzerland threatens to fall behind when it comes to electric cars

Significant deposits of rare earth metals have been discovered in the far north of Sweden, which are necessary for the construction of electric cars and wind turbines, among other things. As Swedish mining group LKAB announced Thursday, more than a million tons of rare earth metals have been found near Kiruna.

It is the largest known deposit of this type in Europe. It could become an important building block for the production of important raw materials that are absolutely crucial for the green transition, says CEO Jan Moström.

According to Moström, it is difficult to estimate how large the deposits are compared to others outside Europe. The reason is that much of the mining currently takes place in China and the extent of deposits there is unclear, he said at a press conference in Kiruna. It is clear, however, that the depot in Sweden is also large from an international perspective.

According to the LKAB, the road to the possible degradation of the metals is long. The first step is to apply for a decommissioning permit. The intention is to submit a corresponding application later this year. Given other approval processes in the industry, it should be at least ten to fifteen years before mining can actually begin and raw materials can be brought to market.

Mining projects such as those in Sweden receive more support from Brussels. This spring, Ursula von der Leyen’s EU Commission wants to propose measures to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy in the field of critical raw materials. Another argument is that without this autonomy no ecological and digital change can take place.

For important batteries, people are 100 percent dependent on imports, said Swedish Minister of Energy and Economy Ebba Busch. We await the Commission’s proposals with great anticipation. (aeg/sda/awp/dpa)