Sweden’s government on Tuesday gave its go-ahead for a controversial mining project in the country’s far north, sparking ire from activists who argue it would harm the environment and the indigenous Sami people.
Jokkmokk Iron Mines, a British-owned company, is eying Sweden’s largest-known cache of untapped quartz-banded iron ore as well as rare earth minerals. The company still has to win approval from a Swedish environmental court, and the government’s green light came with a long list of conditions attached. But Tuesday’s decision was a step forward after years of legal battles.
Critics have warned that a mining operation risked destroying the area’s pristine forests and lakes and would disturb the Sami’s traditional reindeer herding.
Industry Minister Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson said the site in question had been designated a site of “national interest for both valuable substances or materials and reindeer herding.”
The government had therefore approved the project with “far-reaching and unique conditions.” He described the conditions as “many and comprehensive,” noting that mining permits were usually granted without conditions.
Among them were a requirement that the mine use as little space as possible, and that initial construction be done during times of the year when the effect on reindeer herding, which relies on vast areas of land, was minimized.
The company would also need to compensate affected reindeer herders, complete annual reviews of the impact for reindeer herding, and commit to restoring the area to allow reindeer herding again once the mine was depleted.
People dine at a restaurant patio in central Stockholm, capital of Sweden, on Aug. 9, 2020. Photo: Xinhua
