Prospecting for transition metals – market conditions, actors and social consequences

As energy transitions accelerate, the focus of governments and companies is shifting from the supply of traditional fossil-fuels to the supply of critical minerals.

One example is EU’s newly approved Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) which aims to increase extraction of critical minerals within the EU. CRMA is expected to change the conditions for prospecting and opening of mines in Sweden.

At the same time, increasing prospecting activities have led to new conflicts with actors in project areas all over the country.

The purpose of this project is to contribute with knowledge about extractive industry conflicts by seeing these as phenomena where interactions between authorities, companies and citizens create and recreate markets.

The dynamics of the prospecting market and its consequences will be examined through three work packages: 1) A general overview of rules and actors on the prospecting market; 2) Process studies of three prospecting ventures over three years; and 3) A comparative study of two project areas where companies are in the stage of applying for an exploitation permit.The project results will contribute to the literature on extractive conflicts as well as new theoretical insights around the organization of markets from a local perspective.

The project will contribute to knowledge about the social consequences of ongoing energy transitions which is relevant for authorities, citizens and businesses working for just energy transitions.