Kiruna and Malmberget are home to the two largest underground iron ore mines in the world. Today, the mining operations are encroaching on the settlements and the position of the iron deposits means that the mining is taking place at greater depths. Existence for people living around the mines will be radically affected. It is simply not possible to stay when mining operations are consuming the ground beneath. So that the mining can continue, major parts of the settlements must therefore be moved.
The urban transformation is also a large and complex process which will continue for many years. It is a condition of life with mutual dependence which everyone here is well aware of and which we must relate to in the best way possible.
No iron ore from the mines, no LKAB
So that both LKAB's business and the surrounding communities can continue to develop, the urban transformation must be implemented in collaboration and mutual understanding with those affected. We do our part to ensure that it is so.
Why we have to transform
Along with employees and the communities, LKAB has a great value. We create approximately 17,000 jobs through direct and indirect job opportunities, locally and regionally. We make an important contribution to the economic development of the region as well as for Sweden. Our iron ore becomes steel which in turn facilitates good social development in the form of roads, buildings, vehicles and even washing machines.
A part of a bigger context
If LKAB is to be able to continue creating jobs, paying taxes and being an active part of society, Kiruna and Malmberget must be moved. Even though it is an accepted fact, all change is stressful in practice, whether it is positive or negative. It is important to remember that the urban transformations are an important piece of a bigger puzzle.
A joint journey
Together with the municipalities, LKAB establishes time schedules for when and how the urban transformations are to be conducted. The municipalities decide what the new communities will look like and according to the Swedish Minerals Act, it is LKAB that will pay for the costs incurred when the company's mining makes the urban transformations necessary.
LKAB's ambition is to facilitate the transformation and compensate for the direct affect that the urban transformations have on the people concerned.
