Several companies currently hold mining rights* on the Fen Complex. This means that they are working towards a goal of starting up mining operations.
Author: Tor Espen Simonsen
Published: 14 Nov, 2023
-
Updated: 11 Dec, 2023
Even if the companies have such an objective, a decision on start-up is relatively far in the future.
First and foremost, the companies must document that they have a viable deposit of REE. Such documentation deals with much more than purely geological conditions.
There is little doubt that the Fen complex contains large quantities of critical minerals. However, viability is also about profitability, environmental impact, technology and access to necessary infrastructure such as transport, power, ports and markets.
All such conditions must be documented in the same way as the geological assumptions. Geology, economics, technology and infrastructure are of course also closely linked:
Are there techniques that make it possible to extract rare earths in a CO2-neutral way and at the same time reduce negative impacts on nature?
All of this is an issue that the stakeholders are working on and need to clarify. Not least, they must have a plan for handling surplus materials (tailings*), any waste substances and handling of thorium.
Read more about:
At the start of 2024, the stakeholders in the Fen Complex are still working on documentation, i.e. mapping, surveys and analyses.
At the same time, Nome municipality is working to clarify land requirements and the location of the mine entrances and associated processing facilities and other industry.
In parallel with all these processes, approvals, impact assessments and political considerations are required.
In the model below, we see what the processes are like and how many years the various steps will take:
The red circle (area clarification) is where the process on the Fen Complex stands today. As we can see, the road to an operating license will take many years. In Norway, this has normally taken 10 to 15 years.
In the government's mineral strategy, however, a fast track has been announced which will shorten the processing time for those applying for an operating licence. This is connected to the fact that critical minerals are given priority in the strategy. A similar strategy has also been launched in the EU, where the aim is to have new European production of rare earths in place by 2030.
The fast track is to be developed by the Directorate for Mineral Management (DMF) establishing a national coordination of projects for critical minerals, based on voluntary participation from municipalities and project developers.
The details of what the fast track will look like are not clear in autumn 2023.
Read more about:
Fensfelet.no is owned by Nome municipality and Midt-Telemark og Nome utvikling AS (MTNU). The purpose of the website is to provide good and objective information about the Fen Complex to anyone who is interested.
