Mining

A historic mining area with one of the world’s most modern mines

The Great Copper Mountain in Falun operated for a millennium and the history of the Bergslagen region, covering the municipalities of southern Dalarna, has medieval traditions of mining for iron, base metals, silver and tungsten. Today, Sweden has the richest mineral fields in Europe.

Sweden has the richest mineral fields in Europe, and is the dominant internal EU supplier of iron ore, the second largest supplier of silver, gold, lead and zinc and the third largest producer of copper. Sweden offers world-leading mining expertise, excellent metals and mining infrastructure and a long history of political and economic stability.

Sweden’s minerals strategy aims towards sustainable use of Sweden’s mineral resources that create growth throughout the country. Since 2012, Sweden has proved to be an attractive country to invest in mining exploration and operation. The country has good geological prerequisites, well-developed infrastructure, and efficient institutional preconditions as well as a transparent process. Furthermore, Sweden has an innovation climate that supports the effective and sustainable exploration and production of minerals. The Swedish government, through Sweden’s minerals strategy, emphasizes the importance of fulfilment of Sweden’s environmental quality objectives which include the Good-Quality Groundwater, A Non-toxic Environment, Limited Climate Impact, and a Good Build Environment Objective.

According to Swedish Mining Industry (SveMin), five major trends which are particularly significant for the sustainable development of the Swedish mining industry include increased digitalization, electrification, moving from product to advanced service solutions, open innovation and transformation from linear to circular economy.

Map of active Swedish mines

According to the latest Swedish Geological Survey (SGU) mining map dated 31 December 2020, there are 12 mines which are in production in Sweden and all of them are metal mines.
Map of mines in Sweden 2020 (pdf)

Iron ore dominant mineral resource in under-explored area

The Bergslagen region is the traditional mining region of Sweden. Today, Bergslagen is one of the country’s three mining regions, rich in both iron ore and non-ferrous ores. Iron ore is the dominant mineral resource in the region, but the region is also home to the Garpenberg zinc-silver mine – Sweden’s oldest operating mine, one of the most modern mines in the world and Boliden’s most profitable mine in Sweden. According to the latest investigation carried out by SGU in March 2021, there is a strong potential for base metals and platinum group elements within the Bergslagen region. Global demand for critical metals is growing to cater for the increasing need for electrification as one of the key measures to tackle climate change with a fossil-free future.

Since 2005, the number of exploration licenses has increased by several hundred per cent in the region of Bergslagen, as both European and global mining and exploration companies have been investing in the region.

Mining and metallurgy R&D

Dalarna as an integral part of the Berslagen region has strong heritage of the metal mining industry and plays an important role in sustainable mining thanks to its long-standing mining tradition and advanced geological technology. Over time, Dalarna has strengthened its position with a well-developed infrastructure to support advanced mining and metallurgy research and development.

Technological developments at the Great Copper Mountain in Falun had a profound influence on mining globally for two centuries. Today, Sweden is home to world-class mining companies such as LKAB and Boliden, as well as world-leading equipment suppliers for underground mining such as Atlas Copco and Sandvik.

Center of excellence

Bergkraft Bergslagen is a publically financed project with the primary aim to help generate growth in Bergslagen through exploration, mining and mine-related research. The project has extensive experience in working in the area and has created a unique database, WeBerGIS, including results from previous mining and exploration campaigns, exploration reports, essays, core logs, production data, etc.

Why Dalarna?

Sweden offers world-leading mining expertise, excellent metals and mining infrastructure and a long history of political and economic stability. The large mineral deposits in the region, historically and today, suggest that there may be several large high-grade deposits yet to be discovered.

• Easy access to information
• Under-explored mining area
• Extensive mining experience
• Excellent mining infrastructure
• Favorable investment climate

Please contact us for information about investment opportunities in Dalarna!