What did the Swedish Land and Environment Court approve for LKAB at its Malmberget site?

The Swedish Land and Environment Court in Umeå approved LKAB’s application to build a fossil-free sponge iron demonstration plant at its Malmberget site in Gällivare, as well as continued mining operations, expansion of the tailings dam, and a facility to extract apatite from waste materials in iron ore production.

What is the role of the Hybrit venture in LKAB’s fossil-free sponge iron project?

The Hybrit venture—owned by LKAB, SSAB, and Vattenfall—aims to replace coking coal in ore-based steelmaking with hydrogen and electricity; the approved demonstration plant is an integral part of Hybrit’s plans and would produce up to 1.5 million tons of fossil-free sponge iron annually, building on a smaller pilot plant that opened in Luleå in 2020.

Swedish miner LKAB gets permit for fossil-free sponge iron plant

Jun 15, 2026

The Swedish environment court approved LKAB's plan to build a fossil-free sponge iron plant at its Malmberget site as part of the Hybrit green steel venture. The facility aims to produce up to 1.5 million tons annually using hydrogen instead of coking coal.

reuters

2026-06-15

Swedish miner LKAB gets permit for fossil-free sponge iron plant

Swedish miner LKAB gets permit for fossil-free sponge iron plant

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