The largest amount of rare earth metals in Europe has been found in Sweden, says mining company LKAB. These raw materials, which Europe now mainly imports from China, are needed for electric cars, batteries, solar panels and wind turbines.
Swedish energy minister Ebba Busch responded with joy on Thursday. According to her, the earth metals are “critical to the transition to a sustainable economy”.
It is not yet clear how many metals are in the soil in Kiruna in northern Sweden. But according to LKAB it concerns at least 1 million tons of ore. With this, Sweden can meet a significant part of future European demand, thinks LKAB CEO Jan Moström.
