JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Aim-listed Beowulf’s application for an exploitation concession related to its the Kallak magnetite iron-ore project, in Sweden, is expected to progress further in June, following the company’s analysis of its impact on surrounding reindeer herding.
The company noted that the Mining Inspectorate of Sweden has written to the County Administrative Board (CAB) for the county of Norrbotten to give its opinion on the application by June 1.
In April, Beowulf presented an analysis of the indirect effects of a mining operation at Kallak on Laponia with respect to reindeer herding, and the effects of transport on Laponia.
The company appointed Naturvårdsverket and Riksantikvarieämbetet to carry out a heritage impact assessment (HIA) in the area. This, it noted, was not typically required with an application for an exploitation concession, but the company voluntarily produced one.
The analysis, which followed United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation guidelines, highlighted that a mining operation at Kallak would have no direct impact on Laponia.
Kallak is 13.6 km2 compared with Laponia's 9 400 km2 and, at its closest point, Kallak is almost 34 km away from Laponia.
“Our studies into reindeer herding support the case that mining and reindeer herding can cooperate and prosper side by side and, to our knowledge, there is no evidence to suggest that they cannot,” it stated.