Reasons to choose Sweden:
- Europe’s richest mineral fields
- Generations of mining traditions and excellent know-how
- Excellent infrastructure for the metal and mining industry
- Leading global brands in mining equipment
- Highly advanced R&D within mining and metallurgy
Unexplored opportunties in Sweden
The Fennoscandian Shield, with Sweden in the center, offers one of the richest but as such also most underexplored regions in the world. World class deposits like Kiruna, Malmberget, Aitik and Garpenberg were discovered on outcrops covering only 4% of the area in Northern Sweden. Vast areas remain untested beneath the till cover.
Modern technology and the support of the Swedish Geological Survey (SGU), with top class geological data, open up for the discovery of new opportunities. SGU store the largest single drill core sampling in the world, readily available. Some 100 exploration projects are active today, many of which with foreign owners exploring for iron ore, base metals, gold, RRE (rare earth) and more.
Sweden is also a hot spot from a EU perspective being the dominant internal EU supplier of iron ore, the second largest provider of silver, gold, lead and zinc and the third largest copper producer.
Sweden has a long history of mining
Sweden has an important mining history reaching back more than a thousand years. Tough global competition has fostered world class mining companies like LKAB, Boliden and Lundin Mining and global equipment suppliers like Atlas Copco, Sandvik and ABB. The Swedish steel industry, using only a minor part of the ores produced, has developed special products and processes to stay in front producing specialty purpose steel for demanding Swedish companies and export whereas commodity steel is imported.
Excellent infrastructure for the metals and mining industry
In spite of being a scarcely populated country you will find a good infrastructure in most parts of the country functioning also in the winter. The important mining and forestry industry both have contributed to this. Roads and railroads, ports, water supply, power and grid paired with a normally welcoming attitude to the mining industry both by the local citizens and the local and central governments contribute to the attractiveness of exploration. You will find political and economic stability paired with a favorable minerals and tax legislation and equal treatment of both Swedes and foreigners.
Sweden hosts highly advanced technology within mining and metallurgy
Profitable and ecological underground mining are areas where Sweden is advanced. LKAB mining iron ore at almost 1400 meters depth is supposedly the most cost efficient underground iron mine in the world. The advanced technology within specialty steel making is unique with a number of smaller steel mills being world leaders in their specific product niches and selling their products all over the world. Tool steel, high speed steel, seamless stainless tubes, bearing steel to mention a few.
Photo: Atlas Copco