The Swedish mining group LKAB announced on Thursday January 12 that it had identified in the Kiruna region, in the Far North of Sweden, “ largest known deposit of rare earths from Europe, which would contain more than one million tons of metals.
This discovery is important at a time when Europe is concerned about its dependence, in particular on China, the world’s largest producer, for the supply of these minerals which are used in particular to manufacture batteries for electric vehicles and wind turbines.
” This is the largest known deposit of rare earth elements in our part of the world, and it could become an important building block for the production of critical raw materials absolutely crucial for the green transition. “, welcomed the CEO of the public group LKAB, Jan Moström, in a press release. ” We are facing a supply problem. Without mines, there can be no electric vehicles “, he argued.
According to preliminary estimates, the Kiruna deposit, a major mining region in the Scandinavian country, contains more than one million tons of rare earth oxides “, but the company stresses that it has not yet quantified its exact magnitude.
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A very long-term vision
” A long way remains to be done before being put into operation, warned LKAB. ” We anticipate that it will take several years to study the deposit and the conditions for profitable and sustainable exploitation. said Mr. Moström.
Asked at a press conference about the expected date of the first pickaxes, he replied that it would largely depend on the speed of obtaining the exploitation permits, specifying that experience showed that it would probably take ” between 10 and 15 years old “.
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” Electrification, self-sufficiency and EU independence from Russia and China will start in the mine “Said the Swedish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Energy, Ebba Busch.
This announcement was made during a visit by a European Commission delegation to Sweden, which has held the rotating EU presidency since the beginning of the year. Among its efforts to curb global warming, Brussels announced last year the end of sales of new gasoline and diesel cars from 2035.
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What are rare earths?
Rare earths are made up of 17 raw materials, discovered at the end of the 18th century in Sweden, each with different properties. These elements have been grouped together under the same name because they are often present in the same soils. Once the ore has been recovered from the earth, it must undergo a “separation” treatment, the fact of distinguishing the different minerals, through chemical operations sometimes involving acids.
Rare earths are actually quite abundant on the planet. Before the Swedish discovery announced on Thursday, the US Geological Survey estimated world reserves at 120 million tonnes, of which more than a third were located in China. To replace hydrocarbons and achieve carbon neutrality in 2050, the EU will need 26 times more rare earths by that date than today, the KU Leuven University has calculated for Eurométaux, the European association of producers of rare earths. metals.
Each of these minerals has its uses for industry, between europium useful for television screens, cerium for polishing glass or lanthanum for catalysts in gasoline engines. It can be found in a drone, a wind turbine, a hard disk, an electric car motor, a telescope lens or a fighter plane.
(with AFP)