Response to interpellation 2022/23:148 on new mines
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD considers that access to strategic minerals is crucial for the climate transition and that Sweden has a unique position to supply Europe 1. KD wants to streamline permit processes and coordinate investigations to reduce dependence on countries such as China and Congo 1 2. KD argues that Sweden should be a stronger mining nation to manage the green transition and wants to pave the way for both primary and secondary extraction 2. KD wants to cooperate to create the next generation of the mining industry 3. S argues that there are proposals on the table that should proceed to secure self-sufficiency. S considers that companies often spend millions on investigations that the authorities lack the competence to handle 4.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Madam Speaker! Regarding the measures that I and the government intend to take to enable faster permit processes and to open more mines, such as Boliden's deposit, the so-called Laver mine outside Älvsbyn, and the rare earth metal deposit recently presented by LKAB, the so-called Per Geijer ore in Kiruna.
Access to strategic and critical metals and minerals is crucial for the climate transition and production of green products, such as electric cars or wind turbines. There is great geological potential for these metals in Sweden. Electrification, the EU's self-sufficiency of metals and minerals, and reducing dependence on other countries begins in the mine. We must strengthen the industrial value chains in Europe and create real opportunities for the electrification of our societies. Sweden has a unique position when it comes to Europe's supply of, for example, iron ore, steel, as well as critical and strategic raw materials.
The government is therefore working purposefully to streamline the permit processes, while we must maintain continued high environmental requirements. The Tidö Agreement describes how Sverigedemokraterna, Moderaterna, Kristdemokraterna, and Liberalerna shall ensure that the environmental permit processes are simplified and shortened. We are now working on the implementation of the Miljöprövningsutredning's proposals and have clarified the Incitamentsutredning's mandate. The investigations, which were commissioned by the previous government, are however far from sufficient and do not meet the need for more investments in the Swedish mining industry. An investigation will therefore need to be commissioned to simplify and clarify permit processes and other obstacles to starting mines.
At the end of February, a letter investigator is also expected to report action proposals regarding the assessment of Natura 2000 permits upon application for a processing concession according to the Mining Act. I look forward to taking part in that investigation as well, which will contribute to my work in proposing measures to streamline the permit process for the Swedish mining industry.
Isak From (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Enterprise, for the answer!
The starting point for this interpellation is, besides the fact that I am genuinely interested in mining and mineral issues, that the government's list of propositions was completely empty regarding the fully referred proposals and the investigation on strategic minerals. The investigation on strategic minerals is admittedly not referred, but I can now ask what the government intends to do with it. Has it been planned to refer it? It does, in fact, raise a number of different issues precisely with a view to making it easier, more efficient, and faster. If one looks at it from a committed climate and environmental perspective, it may also be very far-reaching for some. There can therefore be stakeholders who strongly argue that it should not be so. Therefore, it is even more important that precisely those questions go out for consultation.
I return to the Environmental Assessment Inquiry that the Minister for Enterprise mentions in the response. I also want to mention the Climate Justice Inquiry, where there are actual proposals that are important for the mining and minerals industry and for getting a new mine established. A mine is not just a hole in the ground or a tunnel, it is a workplace where there must be electricity—high-voltage power with high capacity—and infrastructure. When it comes to the much-discussed mine near Jokkmokk, the transports to and from the mine as well as new power grids, which will also be included in the upcoming environmental assessment, are perhaps the most difficult questions to solve. Therefore, it is of crucial interest for the mining companies and not least for the mining communities in northern Sweden, but also in the rest of Sweden, that the proposals in both the Environmental Assessment Inquiry and the Climate Justice Inquiry can actually be implemented.
The Minister for Enterprise highlights that the previous government's proposal is not far-reaching enough, but I believe that there are proposals on the table that one should be able to move forward with to get started. Just as the Minister for Enterprise mentions, we are in a situation where we need to ensure our own self-sufficiency. 3 percent of the entire EU's dependence on rare earth elements is produced within the EU. However, the EU consumes 30 percent of all rare earth elements in the world. In the current situation with Russia and China, it is absolutely crucial for both Sweden and the EU that the production of strategic minerals and rare earth elements actually gets started. There are a number of important proposals here that can be taken further. The question, therefore, is: Will you take this further, and if so, what is it that is missing?
Linus Sköld (S)
Mr. Speaker! It is beautiful in Älvsbyn. At this time of year, it is sparkling cold with ice crystals in the trees, meters of snow, slalom skiing in the hills and coffee boiling by the fire. It is fine in Älvsbyn. But it is also sparse between the houses in Älvsbyn. As a consequence of the urbanization that has occurred in the wake of the structural transformation, especially when it comes to forestry, Älvsbyn has also been a depopulated area for quite a few decades now, with a progressively decreasing number of inhabitants.
Älvsbyn is a municipality located on the border between the coast and the inland of Norrbotten with approximately 8,000 inhabitants. The large employers are industrial employers such as Älvsbyhus and Polarbröd. They are the largest, second only to the municipality itself.
I am not only a Member of Parliament from Älvsbyn, but I am also a local politician in Älvsbyn. Just over ten years ago, Boliden issued a statement that became a game changer, or potentially could have become a game changer, both for the local community in Älvsbyn, for the self-sufficiency rate of critical metals, and for the electrification of this country. The deposit where the old Laver mine was located, where copper was mined in the 30s and 40s, is sufficient to open a mine. That was said over ten years ago. Since then, the matter has moved back and forth, from instance to instance.
As a local politician, who is to plan the local community, assess which infrastructure needs exist, plan for future housing construction or future needs for schools and care, it is not so terribly simple. If the mine comes along with a few thousand more jobs, it will fundamentally change the conditions for the one who is to plan the local community.
I would therefore like to ask about the minister's message to the local politicians in Älvsbyn. Should the local politicians in Älvsbyn plan for expansion and a growing labor market or for continued relocation and outdated demographics?
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I will be honest and say that I am going to be boring. You might think that I have been terribly boring for the last five hours. In that case, I regret that it will get worse now.
These are incredibly complex issues, which I know the members are well aware of. That means that we, now that we have taken over, do not take lightly the work that has already been started by the previous government. There is much good in those initiatives. I believe there is much there where the four coalition parties and perhaps primarily the Social Democrats can join forces in mining issues.
My wish as the responsible minister for these issues is to be as responsive as possible to the commitment and expertise that exists in the matters and to try to join in and continue the momentum where initiatives have been taken that are in demand by both the industry and the local population, hand in hand. There are many difficult trade-offs to be made between discoveries that are absolutely crucial for us to achieve the climate transition and to safeguard our nature and our environment as well as our indigenous people's fundamental rights. This is one of many reasons why it has been difficult to navigate the issues until now.
In addition to what I have already explained in the answer – that we are moving forward with pending investigations, will return as soon as possible, and are supplementing and appointing further investigations – we are trying to bridge the natural conflicts of interest that exist, partly through the new departmental structure. It has been popular to point out that we are abolishing the Ministry of the Environment, which is completely incorrect. We are combining the expertise that has been at the Ministry of the Environment with the expertise within business, energy, and climate to gather the best of the best in one place and to be able to increase the pace in permit processes and bridge the natural conflicts that exist in an even better way.
Now we come to the boring part of the answer. I cannot say exactly when this will be placed on the list of government bills. Otherwise, it would have been there. It has to do with the fact that we are trying and need to sort out what will need to be included in the new one and what we might be able to move forward with in the meantime. We know that it is incredibly in demand. Some are also worried about this. In order to calm that worry, it is therefore important to maintain a high pace.
The question of the mining industry and the new, very clearly stated direction that we need to mine more in Sweden and pave the way for a larger mining industry in Sweden moving forward is established. It is of decisive importance for precisely the green transition.
Isak From (S)
Mr. Speaker! I do not think it is boring that the Minister for Enterprise believes that part of the Social Democrats' proposal is good. We can take that with us.
In the three investigations, about eighty proposals and quite extensive new parts are raised. In the investigation concerning strategic minerals, the fiscal policy and the municipalities' financing are also brought in and addressed.
Part of this, and perhaps not only this but also when we talk about wind power, nuclear power, wolves or mines, is that one thinks it is very good. One says: We should have that, but maybe not here. It should perhaps be somewhere else.
I come from Norsjö, in the middle of the Boliden field. Since Boliden opened its deposit in the 20s and Boliden and Skellefteå began to flourish, I believe 17 mines have been opened and closed in the municipality. And we still have a primary industry. It works.
On the other hand, it is perhaps worse in Östergötland, for example in Norra Kärr. It is not easy there. One does not have the same familiarity with mines. It is complicated. It can leak, and it can harm people. That is how it is. Unfortunately, we have an experience from northern Sweden. In my working life, I myself was quite involved in the Blaikengruvan and Svärtträskgruvan. Those projects unfortunately turned out to be started by actors who did not have the entire mining issues with them. They had forgotten certain things, for example that one must have resources if something goes wrong.
I believe it is a decisive factor whether the local population is to have confidence in an actor. Are there resources if it goes badly? That is how it is in Finland. That is a real tip to the Minister for Enterprise. There, they look more at what capital the company has. Does it have resources? In Sweden, we have had actors who did not quite have all parts with them. It has damaged the industry, and it damages us now.
Exactly, these are the things we need. We need to get started. I know that in the budget there are proposals for more money for SGU, which point out that the Mineral Information Office in Malå needs to be highlighted and strengthened. The Minister for Enterprise can also take that with him. Those who today sit on a lot of competence and knowledge are being requested by actors, so that one can avoid starting completely from scratch. There is currently good knowledge about new deposits that can be taken forward. One does not need to reinvent the wheel all the way over again. That too is a real message.
Linus Sköld (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Ebba Busch, for the opportunity to debate this!
I realize that the minister is not standing here with information to make any commitments regarding the Laver mine; it is no longer even a decisive matter for the government. But I can still think that the direction is interesting.
If there is an optimism and positive direction within the government, it would have been nice if it were expressed. I think that the answer we received nevertheless indicates good will. To see the assets in proposals that the previous government paved the way for is commendable.
I want to emphasize once again that there is a permit process here that is not working and that would need to become more efficient, more transparent and more predictable. It is reasonable that the person who submits an application can foresee what will happen with that application before decisions are made.
If we can move forward and there are proposals that are ready so that we can get closer to the ideal state, I would like the Minister to move those proposals forward as soon as possible. One can agree with Isak From's opening question as to why they were not on the list of propositions.
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Mr. Speaker! The short answer to the latter question from Member Sköld is simply that since there are several investigations that affect one another, and the government is supplementing these with an additional one, we need to ensure that we maintain the consistency between them and that everything functions as a whole.
I want to zoom out a bit and truly agree that these questions are important. Sweden has a very broad political consensus that the green transition is the way forward, but we sometimes discuss and divide over the tools to get there. Within the EU, there is increasing consensus that the green transition is the way forward, also in order to secure competitiveness.
But when the government now says that green transition is the future for Sweden and the European Union, and at the same time looks at what is crucial to achieve it, we also note that when it comes to the critical rare earth metals - minerals needed in phones, cars, and wind turbines - Sweden is dependent on going through countries such as China and Congo. Then we have also said that we have placed Sweden's and the EU's future in the hands of those countries.
We believe in a more open and free trade worldwide, but we must not be naive about what happens when one becomes too dependent on a single country – which may also have a different view on the most fundamental questions of values. Look, for example, at Congo, which today accounts for 69 percent of the world's production of cobalt. Furthermore, the EU is one hundred percent dependent on imports of lithium, which is completely crucial in the green transition.
Sweden is a proud mining nation. We have a proud history of being a mining nation. But I mean – and it is an important signal to send – that Sweden also has a proud possible future as an even stronger mining nation. Swedish iron ore and Swedish steel are in demand all over the world. It is also in that production that one seems to be on the verge of being able to start using completely groundbreaking technology that could give us green steel. It is that type of progress that will be needed to manage the green transition.
What many miss is that in order to achieve this, one needs to pave the way for the extraction of both the primary and the secondary. Access to many individual, rarer metals and minerals comes from also paving the way for the primary extraction. It is a perspective that more of us need to help pave the way for.
In conclusion, I want to say that the signal is very clear: The government will not discard proposals that the Social Democrats have worked on previously just because they are S-marked. I want to emphasize that we take the baton forward where it goes, complement it, and see what we can do to reach the finish line and realize this, and try to maintain as high a pace as possible.
Isak From (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for Enterprise.
We have a situation where it is often, rightly, described that the companies have spent millions - sometimes even hundreds of millions of kronor - on investigations. These investigations are so complicated, to say the least, that the authorities do not have the competence to handle them. They then need to start their own investigations.
If one has now forced the development this far, one must rewind the tape and ask the question of what is to be ensured. Yes, that toxins do not leak into the surroundings and that it is restored with the best possible technology. Then one may not initially know exactly how it is to be restored, because one does not know how the production develops. On the other hand, the company must have resources to be able to take the measures that are required.
I think that this must be the starting point if one is to truly review this, because one ends up in a strange situation where the companies, while also bidding, are also supposed to educate the authorities on the best possible technology. This is an innovation-driven activity that is moving forward all the time and where AI is entering. It is about a completely different work environment compared to just ten years ago. The steps toward new technology and a completely different type of extraction are enormous. That must also be taken into account.
Energi- och näringsministern Ebba Busch (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I will be brief and thank you for the co-signatures. I truly want to once again emphasize the government's genuine will to join forces here and work to pave the way for the next generation of the mining industry for a long time to come.
We can try to spur each other to make these proposals as good as they can be, and then we will see who gets the honor of cutting the ribbon. Of course, we do this together even if the roles may have potentially changed. Hopefully, we can manage to do our jobs so well that we maintain a higher pace than what has previously been the case for the very time-consuming permit processes surrounding the mining industry.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.