In the midst of ongoing litigation, Jokkmokk Iron Mines has applied to expand the mining area in Kallak.
From about 100 to 500 hectares.
The application receives sharp criticism from Sami villages in the area.
– It feels like a slap in the face, that we shouldn’t think that this will ever end. That it is a tactic from the company to tire out the Sami village, says Lisa Länta, lawyer and representative for Jåhkågasska tjiellde Sami village.
At the same time as the trial about the mining in Kallak has just ended, the Sami village has been reached by the news that Jokkmokk Iron Mines submitted an application for an extended exploration permit.
It is about an exploration permit on an area of approximately 400 hectares – four times as large as the area the government granted a processing concession for the year 2022.
The application has been sent out for referral and is receiving sharp criticism from the Sami villages concerned.
– You first search for a small area, and then it grows and grows all the time. Tactics because it’s easier to get through something small at first and then more and more, says Lisa Länta.
Decision in October
An exploration permit is a first step towards a mine and means that the company gets exclusive rights to the deposits in the area. The company can then go ahead and apply for test drilling in the area.
A decision on an extended exploration permit is made by the Norwegian State of Norway in mid-October at the earliest.
– The UN has opened a case to investigate how indigenous rights have been respected in connection with the government’s yes to a mine in the area, and Unesco is investigating whether the nearby area of Laponia should retain its status as a world heritage site, it feels remarkable that at the same time as this the company wants to take additional land in claim, says Lisa Länta.
Hearing in the Supreme Administrative Court
After years of conflict, the previous government, in the spring of 2022, said yes to a mine in Kallak outside Jokkmokk and the exploration company Jokkmokk Iron Mines was granted a processing concession. This means that they were able to move forward with their mining plans and investigate whether it is economically and environmentally possible to mine ore in Kallak.
The decision has been criticized by researchers, Sami villages, the environmental movement and the UN, who believe that indigenous rights and the environment are adversely affected by a mine.
Jåhkågasska tjiellde and Sirge’s Sámi village and the Nature Conservation Association appealed the government’s yes, as they believed, among other things, that the then minister of economic affairs Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson (S) was rude when the decision was made, after previously expressing that he loves mines.
Last week, negotiations were held in the Supreme Administrative Court. The court has not announced when the verdict will be announced.