CRITICAL MINERALSExpert Believes Norwegian Minerals Could Make Europe Less Dependent on China
At the Fen Complex in southern Norway lies Europe’s largest deposit of rare earth elements, according to a report from Rare Earths Norway. But this is not a ‘quick-fix,’ according experts.
At the Fen Complex in southern Norway lies Europe’s largest deposit of rare earth elements, according to a report from Rare Earths Norway.
Rare earth elements are metals used in electronics such as mobile phones, hard drives, electric cars, and screens.
The Fen Complex places Norway third on the list of countries with such metals, behind China and Brazil.
The minerals are used in many products needed for the green transition and defense.
Currently, Norway and Europe rely heavily on buying these from other countries like China. That can make us vulnerable to their trade policy.
The mineral discovery could turn out to be Europe’s new trump card, according to the Norwegian broadcasting corporation NRK.
“Still, the situation is more complicated than simply locating and extracting minerals,” Ståle Angen Rye tells Science Norway.
He is a professor of human geography at NTNU.
Building a European Value Chain
“The EU wants to achieve what’s called strategic autonomy, which is about securing the value chain,” says Rye.
He explains that the value chain for such minerals stretches all the way from exploration to recycling. Securing the chain within Europe would mean carrying out every step on European soil.
“This requires reliable access to raw materials, preferably from your own territory. And once we have materials on Norwegian and European soil, we must keep them here,” says Rye. “That requires a comprehensive strategy, and China has had that for several years.”
At the Fens Complex, they are still at the very beginning of the value chain, in the exploration and development phase.
China’s Advantage
“Reducing dependence on China is a central motivation,” says Gørild Heggelund, a senior researcher at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute.
She studies China’s environmental, energy, and climate policies, and sees clear difficulties with the current situation.
“The challenge is that extraction, production, and processing are concentrated in a small group of countries, including China. That creates a significant supply risk if something were to happen. The geopolitical situation we are in now means that Europe and Norway want to become less dependent on China,” explains Heggelund.
Last year, China tightened its control over rare earth elements, according to CNBC.
Because China dominates such a large share of the global market, it has the power to restrict access to these materials, potentially making it harder for other countries to produce defense equipment.
