Kees van der LeunJan 12, 2023
Sweden's LKAB finds Europe's biggest deposit of rare earth metals. Rare earth elements are currently not mined in Europe, leaving the region depending on imports. Could take 10-15 years to start mining. https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/swedens-lkab-finds-europes-biggest-deposit-rare-earth-metals-2023-01-12/
Sweden's LKAB finds Europe's biggest deposit of rare earth metals

Swedish state-owned mining company LKAB on Thursday said it had identified more than 1 million tonnes of rare earth oxides in the Kiruna area in the far north of the country, the largest known such deposit in Europe.

Reuters
Show threadSellaTheChemistJan 12, 2023
@Sustainable2050 And who is going to refine them?
Show threadKees van der LeunJan 12, 2023
@sellathechemist "So we also need to focus on the entire value chain on these metals, products like high efficiency magnets that we want to use for wind turbines or traction engines in EVs and so on," Jonsson said.
Show threadSellaTheChemist
@Sustainable2050 Well guess what? I missed the last paragraph because of that ad! 😜 But I guess my point is that we often equate mining with elemental availability. Without separation and refining capacity we go nowhere. And in the decade since the "rare earth crisis" we've found alternatives and ways to reduce use in particular applications, but we've also shrugged and gone with China's policy… Another place where diversifying is really critical.
Jan 12, 2023 at 9:51pmWeb