China note! EU-member Sweden locates rare earth deposits

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
Associated Press

KIRUNA, Sweden (AP) — A Swedish government-owned iron ore mining company says it has identified “significant deposits” of rare earth elements in Arctic Sweden that are essential for the manufacture of electric vehicles and wind turbines. LKAB’s CEO said Thursday that the quantity of rare earth metals exceeds 1 million tons and is the largest known deposit of its kind in Europe. Sweden’s energy and business minister said that the European Union’s “self-sufficiency and independence from Russia and China will begin in the mine.”