In 1996, the Viscaria copper mine, a couple of kilometers from the old center of Kiruna, was shut down due to profitability problems.
But at the beginning of 2019 it was announced that the Swedish mining and exploration company Copperstone Resources wanted to open the mine again when it bought all the shares in Australian Avalon Minerals.
In March 2022, they then submitted their application for an environmental permit to the Land and Environmental Court. The Sami villages of Laeva and Gabna appealed the decision, however, as they would lose grazing land.
Want to offer replacement chips
However, Copperstone resources has claimed in its reindeer husbandry analysis that the mine will affect Laevas to a small extent and nearby Gabna to a small extent.
The Sami villages do not agree with that description and they have negotiated with Copperstone who want to offer replacement lands as compensation for the lands being claimed.
– In the direct area, we lose the opportunity to use both the migration route and the reindeer herding, said Niila Inga, chairman of Laeva’s Sami village to Sami radio in October.
Decided in court
The matter will now be decided in court and the negotiations begin today and are expected to last until February 21.
The mining company hopes to receive its environmental permit in the first half of 2024, and on Monday Copperstone announced that it will start a profitability study for the Viscaria mine this year, and the plan to reopen the mine in 2026 is firm.
– The feedback we have received from financiers and banks is that they want to see as solid and elaborate a basis as possible. By starting the work with a profitability study, we ensure that we use our resources in the best way, says Jörgen Olsson, CEO of Copperstone.