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Talga mine: The government is running over Kiruna for the second time

Published 12 hours ago

3 min reading time

Mats Taaveniku ( S ), municipal council in Kiruna and Energy and Minister of Industry Ebba Busch ( Kd ).

Municipal Council Mats Taaveniku is critical of the government running over the municipality in terms of developing a detailed plan for Talga's planned mine in Vittangi. Photo: Christine Olsson / TT / Claudio Bresciani

Kiruna Municipality refused to adopt a detailed plan for the disputed graphite mine in Vittangi. Then the government presented the municipality with an ultimatum, which caused the municipal council to change. But it was too slow, the government considered, which now allows the County Administrative Board to draw up the plan.

– Sad and unhappy, says the municipal council Mats Taaveniku ( S ) to P4 Norrland.

Ossian Sandin

Ossian Sandin

Environmental and climate editor

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Outside Vittangi, near Lake Hosiojärvi in the Torne River basin, the Australian company Talga Group is planning a mine for graphite. A mineral used in the manufacture of electric car batteries. But the planned mine is disputed. Opponents of the mine, in addition to the direct environmental impact, also fear that nearby rivers can be damaged. Talma Sami also opposes the plans, whose year-round lands are within the area of the planned mine. At the same time, Kiruna Municipality has also protested. Municipal Council Mats Taaveniku ( S ) has pointed out that there is no gain for the municipality and its inhabitants – and refused to develop a detailed plan for the area.

– It is a political mark. We will be quite skeptical about new mines in Kiruna municipality until we get the state to give back some money based on the natural resources and the values that natural resources create, Mats Taaveniku told Svt.

In Vittangi, several manifestations have been held against Talga's planned graphite mine. Photo: Hanna Råman

Run over municipal self-government

The protest led to the government choosing to run over the municipality, which until June 16 had to draw up a detailed plan. Otherwise, the County Administrative Board would receive the assignment. The municipality changed its attitude to have the opportunity to gain influence on the process. But on Friday, the issue took another turn. The government announced that Kiruna was deprived of the opportunity to develop the detailed plan for the mine with reference to the fact that the municipality does not comply with the planning, NSD reports. Instead, it will fall on the County Administrative Board to prepare the plan.

– What I am even more concerned about is undermining municipal self-government with such a decision, comments the municipal council Mats Taaveniku message to P4-Norrland.

Energy – and Minister of Industry Ebba Busch say in a statement that ” Sweden has the most sustainable mining industry in the world, it is ethically sustainable, environmentally sustainable and has good working conditions ”.

– Despite high demand for almost all metals, very few new mines are started in Sweden. With this decision, I hope that Sweden will get its 14th mine, she says.

Talga's planned mine was one of the Swedish projects that was named ” strategic ” by the EU recently.