Access to land is crucial for all mining operations, and LKAB's future is dependent on central parts of Kiruna and Malmberget being successively moved. These urban transformations are a result of the location of the ore bodies and the expansion of mining operations.
In order to carry on mining iron ore, LKAB must ensure the availability of the land that the mining affects, through environmental permits and agreements with municipalities and property owners. For this reason, we have to relocate parts of our operating locations, Kiruna and Malmberget.
You can read more about the urban transformations here.
A precondition for our business
In order for LKAB to continue mining iron ore, be a world-leading export company and an active member of society, we need access to the land on which people are currently living. It is crucial for our business and the continued development of our operating locations that the urban transformations can be conducted in collaboration and agreement with our stakeholders. As a wholly state-owned company with a compelling history and local links, there are even stronger demands placed on us to manage the urban transformation in a socially, financially and environmentally sustainable manner.
Urban transformation is, quite simply, a precondition for continued mining. In order for LKAB and the surrounding communities to continue to develop, the urban transformation must be implemented in collaboration and mutual understanding with those affected. This is a large and complex process which will continue for many years, affecting a large proportion of the population in Malmfälten.
In all, around 5,000 homes and 700,000 m² of housing and business premises will be relocated or replaced. This means that some 10,000 people – roughly a quarter of Malmfälten's population – will need to move. The urban transformations are expected to continue at least until 2035, when the current main levels will have been worked out.
A joint journey
Together with the municipalities, LKAB is establishing time schedules for when and how the urban transformations are to be conducted. The municipalities will decide what the new communities will look like and, according to the Swedish Minerals Act, it is LKAB that will pay for the costs incurred when the company's mining operations make the urban transformations necessary.
