Norway’s government takes over planning for Europe’s largest rare earth deposit

Norway will take over planning for the Fen rare earth deposit – Europe’s largest – to speed up development after a resource upgrade nearly doubled its estimated size, the government said on Wednesday.

Fen was estimated last month to hold 15.9 million metric tons of rare earth oxide in indicated and inferred resources, 81% more than a 2024 estimate, the project’s developer said at the time.

Europe has no operating rare earth mines, and development of the southern Norway project would support the region’s push to reduce reliance on dominant producer China.

“The Fen field could be of major significance for Telemark, Norway and Europe’s supply security and competitiveness,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement. Telemark is the region where Fen is located.

“To ensure future access to critical minerals, it is important to increase production both in Norway and in other countries with which we cooperate in terms of security.”

About 19% of the oxides are neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr), key materials used in permanent magnets for electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics and defence applications.

The government said it had stepped in at the request of the local authority, citing the risk of land-use disputes and the need to balance competing national interests.

As elsewhere in Europe, infrastructure projects in Norway – including onshore wind farms – have faced opposition from environmental and agricultural interests, delaying development.

Rare Earths Norway, which is developing the project, has said it expects production to start in late 2031, with output of 800 tons of NdPr by 2032, equivalent to about 5% of European Union demand.

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche in Oslo. Editing by Mark Potter)