The small Norwegian town of Ulefoss, home to just over 2,000 people, could soon become central to Europe’s efforts to reduce its reliance on China for rare earth elements vital to modern technologies like smartphones, electric vehicles, and defense systems. Beneath the town lies the Fen complex, one of the largest known rare earth deposits in Europe.
Mining company Rare Earths Norway (REN) plans to extract these valuable materials using an innovative “invisible mine” — a diagonal underground tunnel designed to minimize surface disruption, according to dw.com.
While residents have expressed environmental and safety concerns, especially recalling the subsidence issues faced by Sweden’s Kiruna, REN is working to reassure the community and plans to fill excavated voids to prevent geological instability.
With a potential reserve of 9 million tons of rare earth oxides, the project could, by 2030, contribute significantly to Europe’s rare earth supply.
A small-scale pilot operation is expected to begin as early as next year — possibly making Ulefoss the first industrial source of these critical materials in Europe.
Satellite image of the prospected mining area for rare earths in Ulefoss, Norway.
