The E-Waste Column no. 216

1 day ago

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Today, we are looking at planned new mining in the Nordics, with a particular focus on the Sakatti mining project in Finland.

🌱 Why is the EU planning to increase domestic mining?

Over the past few years, there has been a lot of discussion and debate on how Europe could meet its raw material needs, increase mineral security, and secure its strategic supply chains. Under the EU’s revised Critical Raw Materials Act, the European Commission now plans to increase the mining and extraction of a variety of metals and minerals domestically in Europe.

🌱 What interest is there to mine in the Nordics?

In August 2024, the European Investment Bank led a €150 million credit package, through the InvestEU programme, to fund the Sibanye-Stillwater’s Keliber lithium project and develop lithium production in Finland. More recently, on 23 July 2026, the European Investment Bank published a technical report titled “Challenges and solutions for mineral exploration in Europe”, which it commissioned to explore ways that Europe could “unlock its critical raw materials potential”. The report notably states that Finland and Sweden both demonstrate “that stronger exploration activity is possible in Europe”. The report also holds that there is a “significant untapped potential” for raw material extraction in both Finland and Sweden, signaling that the European Investment Bank may have plans to build out further funding packages to increase mining in the Nordics.

🌱 Will there be mining in Natura 2000 sites?

Natura 2000 sites are protected nature areas in the EU. Yet, on 25 March 2025, the underground mining project called “Sakatti”, which is located within a Natura 2000 site in Finnish Lapland, was designated as a ‘Strategic Project’ by the European Commission. Large-scale copper, nickel, and platinum extraction is now planned there. In addition to the Sakatti project, there is also mining planned through the “Penikat” project and at the “Sokli” deposit in Finland, which are both partially located in Natura 2000 sites.

🌱 Why is the mining controversial?

The planned mining in Finland is sparking societal interest and debate not only over environmental issues, but also over what domestic economic benefit it will have. The funding of mining exploration with Finnish taxpayers’ money, the Finnish government’s issuance of specific subsidies and tax benefits for mines, and the sale of Finnish mining licenses to large foreign multinational corporations, with limited local tax obligations and employees, have all been cause for public discussion in Finland.

🌱 What role do the current Finnish developments play on an EU level?

On a broader EU level, it is worth saying that the planned Sakatti mine is seen as “a test case for the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act”. There are growing concerns that “Finland’s first licence to mine a Natura 2000 site [c]ould set a deadly precedent for EU nature protection”. The overriding of public interest and the fast tracking of a permit for the mine planned at the Viiankiaapa mire, which is “one of the last pristine “aapa mire” ecosystems in Europe”, could pave the way for “overriding the public interest to preserve nature” more broadly in Europe.