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Boliden wants a fast track for copper mine

by AI | 16.Jan 2026 | Europe in brief AI

The mining group Boliden has submitted an application for the copper deposit Nautanen in northern Sweden to be designated as “a strategic project” under the EU’s regulation on critical raw materials.

The mining group Boliden's flag. Photo: Johanna Norin/TT

Stockholm – The Swedish mining group Boliden has submitted an application for the copper deposit Nautanen in Norrbotten to be designated as “a strategic project”.

Strategic projects under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Regulation are intended to strengthen the union’s self-sufficiency and may receive fast-track treatment when it comes to permitting processes and support for financing.

“Boliden sees potential to invest in an underground mine including an access ramp to reach the mine from a distance and thereby minimize environmental impact,” the company writes in a press release.

The annual production at Nautanen is estimated to be around 2–3 million tons per year over 20 years.

Boliden expects a response from the European Commission to its application during the second quarter of this year.

(16 January)