On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, the Swedish government announced that it had rejected the two appeals against Boliden's mining concession for Laver, granted in September 2025 by Sweden's Chief Mining Inspector, which includes the right to extract copper, gold, silver and molybdenum.
"This is a very welcome decision. While many steps remain before an investment decision can be made and the mining operations can begin, we strongly believe in the Laver deposit's potential to significantly increase Europe's self-sufficiency within copper - a raw material designated as both strategic and critical by the European Commission. For Boliden, the promising mining conditions at Laver could also heavily contribute to our output of Low-Carbon Copper with world-class climate performance", says Stefan Romedahl, President Boliden Mines.
The Laver area was historically a thriving mining community until the old copper mine's closure in 1946. It has now been subject to exploration work for nearly two decades, with indicated Mineral Resources amounting to 849,500 ktonnes at a copper grade of 0.24%, as per Boliden's 2025 statement on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. Once operational, the Laver mine could bring around 2,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities, while doubling Sweden's copper production and increasing Europe's copper self-sufficiency by approximately 10%. Boliden will now proceed in the process with the application for an environmental permit for Laver.
For further information, please contact:
Daniel Isaksson Bonnevier
Head of Corporate Communications
+46 70 429 45 78
Daniel.Bonnevier@boliden.com