A new report shows that Norway already plays an important role in the strategic value chains for critical raw materials, while also identifying opportunities to strengthen the country's significance for European industry, supply security, and defence.
According to the Norwegian government, the report has been produced by Prosess21 and the Research Council of Norway (Forskningsrådet) on behalf of Norway's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. The mapping covers the entire value chain, from geological deposits and mineral extraction to processing and circular solutions, and provides a comprehensive picture of where Norwegian industry holds strategic importance.
"Norwegian industry and the mining sector already supply input materials that are important for both our own and our allies' value creation, transition, and security. This mapping gives us a comprehensive picture of where Norwegian actors hold strategic importance in critical value chains and where they have the potential to play an even more significant role. This demonstrates that industry plays an important role for security and preparedness, and represents vital knowledge for strengthening Norwegian and European competitiveness," said Minister of Trade and Industry Cecilie Myrseth in the government's press release.
The report highlights that the Norwegian process industry is strong in capital-intensive and technically advanced parts of the value chain. It produces, among other things, aluminium, ferroalloys, silicon, nickel, cobalt, zinc, and silicon carbide with a lower carbon footprint than many alternatives.
"The greatest vulnerabilities in the global value chains for critical raw materials lie within processing and refining. That is precisely where Norway can play a key role for European and allied security," said Håvard Moe, chair of the steering group for Prosess21 and Technology Director at Elkem, in the press release.
The report also points out that Norway holds significant geological assets and several relatively mature projects in areas including copper, rare earth elements, graphite, and high-purity quartz. Two Norwegian projects have already been classified as strategic under the EU's regulatory framework for critical raw materials, and the Fensfeltet deposit in Telemark (southern Norway) is described as Europe's largest proven deposit of rare earth elements.
At the same time, the report notes that the development of new projects depends on factors including regulatory frameworks, access to capital, public acceptance, and profitability. Prosess21 and the Research Council of Norway will now produce two further studies on Norway's future role in strategic value chains for critical raw materials and on the implications of the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act ahead of a potential incorporation into the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement.