On 17 November 2023, SIM2 KU Leuven released a 52-minute documentary entitled “Made in Europe: from mine to electric vehicle”. One of the highlights of the documentary is the visit of the film’s presenter, Peter Tom Jones, to LKAB’s underground iron mine and the adjacent (recently discovered) Per Geijer rare-earth deposit in the Arctic town of Kiruna. After spending more than 6 hours underground, Peter Tom Jones got the rare opportunity to conduct an in-depth, 30-minute interview with one of Sweden’s key players in the domain of critical raw materials, i.e. LKAB’s Jan Moström. The interview with Jan Moström, who is also President of Euromines, took place in the picturesque setting of LKAB’s “engineers’ villa”. In the interview Jones asks Moström to elaborate on the Per Geijer roadmap to REE production. The discussion hinges on how mining can be done in an environmentally, socially and culturally responsible way. The role of public acceptance, also by the indigenous Sami population, is discussed in detail, along with the alleged need to speed up permitting processes. Subsequently, the conversation is broadened to how Europe can become less dependent on China et al. for all key strategic metals for the clean energy transition. Moström and Jones discuss how many new energy-transition mines need to be opened in Europe and how the European Critical Raw Materials Act can support this transition towards strategic autonomy. Jones asks Moström what would need to be changed to the CRMA to make it more impactful. All in all, this exclusive interview provides an optimistic view on how the made-in-Europe cleantech dream can become reality.
General overview “Made in Europe: from mine to electric vehicle”
The documentary investigates the challenges faced by Europe as it attempts to set up its own, fully integrated, mine-to-EV value chain. The film acts as a wake-up call to avoid that Europe’s decarbonisation strategy leads to a nightmarish de-industrialisation. Instead, the documentary shows that Europe’s transition to climate neutrality can go hand in hand with a cleantech-based re-industrialisation. For this documentary, the film’s presenter, Peter Tom Jones, undertakes a road trip in the Nordic countries, starting at the iconic Boliden Aitik and LKAB Kiruna mines in the North of Sweden, after which he visits key locations in South Finland in search of best practices in responsible refining, battery production and EV assembly. As well as descending 1,400 m underground and interviewing various CEO’s and experts, Jones engages with a key spokesperson from the indigenous, reindeer-herding Sami people in their homeland of Sapmi, before going on to meet with local citizens in the Arctic town of Kiruna. To obtain a view from Brussels, Jones sits down with the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič.
Key links to the main documentary and related vodcast interviews:
