Sweden’s Land and Environmental Court has granted an environmental permit for LKAB’s continued and expanded operations in Malmberget, which the mining company said is a decisive ruling for the future and transformation of the 135-year-old mining operation.
“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,” says Johan Menckel, President and CEO of LKAB.
The permit covers both continued and expanded mining and processing activities in Malmberget, as well as measures to reduce impact on air and water. It also includes the establishment of a demonstration plant for fossil-free sponge iron production and a new processing plant for apatite to supply LKAB’s planned industrial park in Luleå with apatite concentrate.
From the apatite concentrate both phosphorus for mineral fertilisers and rare earth elements used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and the defence industry can be extracted.
“The permit is a prerequisite for securing our operations for decades to come. Our ambition is to gradually strengthen our competitiveness by further processing our pellets into fossil-free sponge iron, while also broadening our business with critical minerals. Our mines and the quality of our ore are an asset in the transition towards a sustainable future, and for increasing self-sufficiency in critical raw materials in Sweden and Europe,” says Menckel.
The development of mineral resources in Malmberget has grown significantly in recent years and now amounts to over 2 billion tonnes – more than LKAB has extracted since operations began in 1890. In addition to high-grade iron ore suitable for direct reduction, there are also large quantities of phosphorus and rare earth elements.
“This enables us to contribute to reduced carbon emissions from iron and steel production, while also allowing us to implement concrete environmental improvements locally. Today’s decision represents an important step for continued mining operations and for securing a competitive business in Gällivare both now and far into the future. It has been an extensive review process, and we need to examine the ruling in detail, but it feels very good that we have reached this point,” says Monika Sammelin, Area Manager in Malmberget, LKAB.
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