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Sweden holds some of Europe’s largest untapped rare earth deposits. Now the government designated critical mineral mining as a national security priority, a move that will speed up permitting for new rare earth mines. Officials cite reducing dependence on Chinese mineral supplies as the goal.
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Instead of extracting one target metal, researchers are cataloging everything contained in Swedish mineral deposits. They will then develop magnets using those naturally available combinations, potentially reducing pollution, waste, and reliance on China.
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Swedish researchers are exploring how the country’s mineral resources could support cleaner production of rare earth elements (REE) and the powerful magnets made from them. As part of the Sustainable materials and material flows research area, Martin Sahlberg is studying whether Sweden’s deposits could become the foundation for a more sustainable magnet industry.
Many of the materials needed for cleaner energy systems and advanced technologies are still produced through processes that carry significant environmental costs. Rare earth magnets, for example, are largely manufactured in China, where environmental rules and industrial standards differ from those in Sweden.
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“In Sweden our possibilities for extracting REE, even when compared internationally, are relatively good,” he says.
Sweden has known rare earth mineral deposits in Kiruna, Bergslagen and Norra Kärr outside Gränna. Sahlberg’s work aims to create the scientific foundation needed to extract these resources domestically while also developing new functional magnets.
Rather than forcing Swedish minerals to fit existing manufacturing formulas, the researchers want to design magnets whose chemical composition closely matches the materials naturally present in local deposits. This approach could reduce the amount of processing required and lower the environmental impact of both purification and manufacturing.
“Today, China basically has a world monopoly, but we not only have deposits but also good access to water and relatively cheap energy. There is also an interest in leading the green transition here in Sweden,” he continues.
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Last week, Sweden declared the mining of critical metals and rare earth minerals to be a national security interest.
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This should ease and accelerate the permit process for new extraction projects and help attract investments, according to Energy Minister Ebba Busch, who is also deputy prime minister.
“We believe that this can contribute significantly to both Sweden’s the EU’s and NATO’s defense capabilities,” Busch said, calling European industry’s dependence on China a “systemic risk.”
Busch also said the move would make it easier for the state to assign land for mining projects, an area of tension with the Sami reindeer-herding indigenous people, who say the expansion of mining could spell the end for their traditional way of life.
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Four of the EU’s 47 strategic projects aimed at reducing mineral dependence on China are located in Sweden.
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