Rare Earths from Kiruna: Europe’s Largest Deposit and Where the Project Stands
In 2023, mining company LKAB announced Europe's largest known rare earth deposit near Kiruna. What has happened since, why the project matters to the EU and what conflicts it raises.
In January 2023, news from northern Sweden made headlines across Europe: the state-owned mining company LKAB announced that it had found Europe’s largest known deposit of rare earth elements near Kiruna. Since then the project has grown larger and politically more important, but mining is still years away. This article summarises where things stand and replaces our first report from 2023.
Last updated: October 2026
What was found
The deposit is called Per Geijer and lies close to the town of Kiruna and the existing iron ore mine. It is primarily iron ore with a high iron content. It also contains phosphorus and rare earth elements, which are to be extracted as by-products. LKAB initially cited more than 1 million tonnes of rare earth oxides. In June 2023 the company put the figure at over 1.3 million tonnes, with 734 million tonnes of iron ore. Globally that is a small share, but for Europe it is a significant amount.
Why rare earths matter
Rare earths are a group of 17 metals used, among other things, in powerful permanent magnets for electric motors and wind turbines, in electronics and in defence equipment. Most mining, and above all most processing, currently takes place in China. The EU wants to reduce this dependence and adopted the Critical Raw Materials Act for this purpose in 2024.
Where the project stands
- June 2023: LKAB applies to the mining inspectorate (Bergsstaten) for a processing concession for the area. The concession is the first step; a mine then also requires environmental permits, among other things.
- March 2025: The European Commission designates LKAB’s “Reemap” project as a strategic project. It covers extraction at Per Geijer and Malmberget and processing in Luleå. Strategic projects are meant to receive faster permitting and help with financing.
- Timeline: There is no fixed date for mining to begin. Even in its first announcement, LKAB pointed out that it would take many years before production could start.
Local conflicts
The project is not uncontroversial. Important reindeer migration routes of the Sámi community of Gabna cross the area. LKAB had examined whether the ore could be mined while leaving the surface intact. In autumn 2023, SVT reported that the company considered conventional caving, in which the ground above the mine gradually subsides, to be the only economically reasonable method. Kiruna municipality had also raised objections to parts of the plan. How to reconcile mining, climate goals and Sámi rights is one of the big debates in Sweden.
What this means for travellers and people in Sweden
Kiruna is already shaped by mining: because the existing mine is causing the ground to subside, the town centre has been moved a few kilometres east in recent years, including the well-known wooden church. Visitors can tour a visitor mine and see the town’s relocation for themselves. For people thinking of moving to northern Sweden, the large industrial projects in Norrbotten mean jobs, but also housing shortages in places such as Kiruna, Gällivare and Luleå. Read more about the region on our Swedish Lapland page.