- Talga Group (TLG) retains key permits in Sweden related to its contested Vittagi graphite mine
- The Swedish environmental court’s decision to grant Talga a permit for graphite mining at the Nunasvaara mine in northern Sweden, made on April 5 this year, faced opposition from environmental groups and sympathetic stakeholders
- The mine is flanked by a wooded area used by the herders and other environmentalists also submitted requests for more time to read company documents
- Overnight the Swedish environmental court dismissed all appeals leaving Talga free to continue
- Shares last traded at $1.22
Talga Group (TLG) has successfully retained key permits in Sweden related to its previously contested Vittangi graphite mine.
The Swedish environmental court’s decision to grant Talga a permit for graphite mining at the Nunasvaara mine in northern Sweden, made on April 5 this year, faced opposition from environmental groups and sympathetic stakeholders.
The court received six submissions regarding Talga’s permit shortly after it was granted, with five of those submissions requesting additional time for parties to review the technical mining documents attached to the permit.
One of the most dissatisfied parties was a group of local reindeer herders, while the others came from individuals and environmental NGOs.
Since April, Talga has been entangled in a legal battle, despite being granted a second permit in July for an associated downstream plant. But today that has changed.
Overnight, the Swedish environmental court declared that the parties contesting the permit had no right to appeal the decision.
Talga now has the green light to put this episode behind itself and move forward.
The graphite to be mined from Nunasvaara will ultimately be used to support Talga Group’s ambitions to create green lithium-ion battery anode materials.
“We are pleased with this outcome. Talga is dedicated to mitigating environmental impacts associated with its projects, having diligently adhered to the regulatory procedures,” TLG Managing Director Mark Thompson said.
“This commitment is evident via the comprehensive and transparent nature of the permitting process.
“We are excited to continue working on this critical project for European green battery production.”
One point to note is that appellants can still proceed with a second-round appeal to Sweden’s Supreme Court until September 28.
However, this can only be heard if there is a “need to develop case law,” which sets a higher threshold than that for the lower environmental court.
TLG shares last traded at $1.22.