For more than a century, LKAB has been mining the world’s richest and most environmentally friendly iron ore in Kiruna and Malmberget. First in open-pit mines, and then underground. The deeper mining proceeds, the better the ore is, and no one knows where it will end. But there is a serious complication. In both communities, the ore deposits dip under the urban settlements.
The towns that grew up around mining must now be relocated if the mining is to continue. In Malmberget, several orebodies extend under the town from different directions. In Kiruna, the orebody consists mainly of a single, gigantic deposit that resembles a slice of bread dipping at an incline under the center of the town.
LKAB estimates that about three thousand people will have to move in the coming 20 years. This is a challenge for all concerned: local residents, the municipalities,
landowners, public administrations, LKAB and others. On this website you will find information about what must be done, by whom, why, when and how.
Lotta Fogde
Vice President Communications