The company Tertiary Gold wants to open a mine near Kyrkberget in Storuman.
But the Norwegian State of Norway denied permission for mining at the site, citing that it would disrupt the reindeer husbandry in the area.
After that, the company appealed to the government, which in September last year decided that the application for the mine should be tried again.
The intended mine would mine the mineral fluorspar, which is considered a critical substance within the EU because production is low, and the government stated that there are two national interests in the area, where reindeer husbandry is one and valuable substances and minerals are the other.
Get rejected by the county board
Now the county administrative board has come to the conclusion that the two national interests cannot coexist at the site, reports The Västerbottens-Kuriren.
– The mining operation must be adapted so that it can coexist with the reindeer industry, says Magnus Langendoen, head of unit at the county administration in Västerbotten.
The reason is that the proposed mine’s sand storage and clarification pond are located in an area that constitutes the reindeer husbandry’s core business.
However, there are still opportunities for the applicant company to get its application through if other solutions are found.
– Should the applicant come in with a revision of the application, we have the option of re-referring the case to the county administrative board and, in case of possible approval, grant the application, says Bergmäster Helena Kjellson.