Future Mine & Mineral Conference 2024

Speakers – day 2

Speakers for day 2 of the conference – January 30.

For speakers on day 1 of the conference – click here »

Moderator

Lisa Ek

Partner and Managing Director of Nordic Strategy Partners | Board Director Lunova AB, Nordic Quick Systems, Ditwin AB, Noah – Lokal Mat, Luleå Näringsliv

Lisa Ek isa an experienced management consultant with a demonstrated history of working with growth, investments and innovation. Strong business development professional with a Master of Science focused in Industrial Engineering and Management from Tekniska högskolan vid Linköpings universitet.

Speakers

Madalina Ivanica

Deputy Head of Raw Materials, DG GROW

Infrastructure measures supporting the green transition in northern Sweden

Northern Sweden is facing a new industrial revolution crucial for advancing the green transition in society and contributing to a fossil-free future. Many of these investments are essential for Sweden and Europe to achieve climate goals. Infrastructure investments are necessary to accommodate the ongoing developments in the region. The Swedish Transport Administration was commissioned by the government to analyze measures in the infrastructure in the counties of Norrbotten and Västerbotten, linked to the major corporate establishments and expansions occurring in these regions. In this session, Deputy Director-General Francisca Ramsberg presents the Swedish Transport Administration’s submitted proposals to the government.

Fransisca Ramsberg

Deputy Director-General, the Swedish Transport Administration

Mrs Ramsberg was appointed by the government as the Deputy Director-General of the Swedish Transport Administration in 2022. She has an extensive experience and has previously served as the Deputy Director-General of the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, as well as Deputy Budget Director at the Ministry of Finance.

Reactions and possible consequences of CRM Act in Nordic countries

EU is deciding on Critical Raw Material Act to improve the security of supply of critical and strategic raw materials. The target is to increase own mineral production, build effective circular economy of these materials and diversify the sources of import by building material partnerships with third countries. What kind of reactions the CRM Act has raised in public and within policy makers? What kind of consequences we possibly will see in Nordic countries in coming years?

Kimmo Tiilikainen

Director General GTK Geological Survey of Finland

Mr Tiilikainen has served as a Member of Parliament for 16 years, held several ministerial positions, and in the last couple of years, he was State Secretary in several ministries and was one of the EU’s Ministerial Negotiators of the Paris Agreement and signed it on behalf of Finland in 2016. As Finland’s Minister of Energy, he implemented Finnish climate policy by promoting both renewable energy and a ban on the use of coal.

Rare metals and great power rivalry

Confrontation between revanchist authoritarian powers and the West have made geopolitical considerations essential. With a tech arms race underway there is a risk of competition for strategic resources, such as rare metals. This has consequences for small and medium sized countries as well as international businesses.

Niklas H. Rossbach

Deputy research director at the Swedish defence research agency (FOI)

Niklas H. Rossbach, PhD. is a Deputy research director at the Swedish defence research agency (FOI) where he works on strategic resources, energy security and foresight in relation to international security.

The role of infrastructure in decarbonizing the steel industry

H2GS has the mission to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries and is building its first steel plant in Boden in Northern Sweden. In Boden, H2GS will produce 5 million tonnes of steel by 2030 with a 95% lower CO2 footprint compared to traditional steelmaking. Infrastructure is at the core of the business, and one of the important reasons for choosing Boden as home.

Luisa Orre

Chief Procurement Officer of H2 Green Steel

Covering electricity, raw materials, logistics and project procurement, as well as infrastructure related to power, rail and port. Luisa was previously the CFO of a consumer technology start up and as well as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co. working globally with corporate and growth strategy across several industries. Luisa holds a Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration from the Stockholm School of Economics.

Sustainable raw materials value chains in the EU CRM Act

At LKAB we are working on new, innovative and circular ways to extract and produce critical minerals from today’s mine waste. LKAB plans to extract phosphorus for mineral fertiliser and rare earth elements, which are critical for sustainable agriculture and the green transition. This will further connect our mines in Sweden to industries across Europe and make an important contribution to Swedish and European security and resilience.

David Högnelid

Chief Strategy Officer, Business Area Special Products at LKAB

David Högnelid is a communications, sustainability, and business development executive that thrives in the cross section of disciplines to develop new opportunities. He believes the mining and minerals industry presents unrivalled opportunities to deliver value for society, environment, communities, and shareholders alike. A key focus of his is to support the realisation of LKAB’s ReeMAP-project for production of phosphorus and REE from mine tailings.

Scaling Up Rare Earth Element Pre-Concentration: Pilot Plant Success at IVL

Johan Strandberg will provide a comprehensive look at the establishment and operation of a pilot plant for the pre-concentration of rare earth elements (REEs) using liquid membrane technology. With a focus on the practical execution of this project, the presentation will explore the innovative use of hollow fiber supported liquid membrane (HFSLM) technology, which has been tested for REE concentrations in a range that demonstrates the plant’s robust capability. This session will showcase the operational do’s and don’ts, the HFSLM’s unique features, and the plant’s potential to influence global practices in REE extraction outside the dominant realm of Chinese expertise.

Johan Strandberg

Senior Researcher

Johan Strandberg is a leading figure in the field of environmental science, with a pioneering role in the development of technologies for the extraction and separation of rare earth elements (REE). Spearheading the Mistra Terra Clean program, Johan has been instrumental in advancing smart filter technologies, and facilitating industry-research collaboration. With a keen focus on sustainability and industry application, Johan has a history of driving innovation within the environmental sector. As a project leader, Johan has directed significant initiatives aimed at integrating digital solutions into resource management, notably in waterworks and climate resilience projects. In the international arena, Johan has contributed to setting guidelines on water sanitation and management through leading roles with the World Health Organization (WHO). These contributions have been part of a broader commitment to sustainable practices in environmental science.

The Nordic bedrock potential for critical metals and minerals

Sweden and the other Nordic countries that comprise large volumes of crystalline bedrock have all experienced a long and varied geological evolution that led to the formation of diverse mineral resources, including a broad suite containing the metals and minerals presently classified as critical within the EU. The Nordic bedrock contains many variably well known deposits of these metals and minerals and the potential for new discoveries must be considered large.

Erik Jonsson

Senior geologist at SGU, the Geological Survey of Sweden

Erik Jonsson, senior geologist at SGU, the Geological Survey of Sweden, and adjunct professor of mineralogy at Uppsala University. Erik works in different projects focused on mineral resources, their character and origin, with a focus on critical metals and minerals. He has over 30 years of experience working with minerals and bedrock geology in both the field and laboratory and has a PhD from Stockholm University. The mineral erikjonssonite was named after him in 2018.

Børge Edvardsen Klingan

CEO, Port of Narvik

Works as CEO at Narvik Havn KF. Børge has a master’s degree in engineering from NTH/NTNU in Trondheim and a degree in business administration from BI in Oslo. He has extensive experience in management and business development related to the green shift, including renewable energy and logistics.

EU and NATO requirements on resilience and NATO operational planning – Potential consequences for critical infrastructure

EU and NATO require member states to be resilient against natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and different forms of warfare. These requirements have implications for supply chains and critical infrastructure as they involve a shift of paradigm, from efficiency thinking to resiliency thinking. In addition, the expansion of NATO will change operational planning on the northern flank. The exact nature of these plans remains unknown, but they will require that the traditional focus on north to south in the Nordic countries is complemented with a new focus on west to east. This means that supply chains and critical infrastructure must be able to support reception, staging and onwards movement of military units, as well as the continuous sustainment of forces.

Dr Thomas Ekström

Senior lecturer in War Studies at the Swedish Defence University

Dr Thomas Ekström has worked with defence capability development the past three decades, primarily in the area of military logistics. After 25 years at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, he is currently a senior lecturer in War Studies at the Swedish Defence University. His research is focused on robustness and resilience in defence supply chains, including their dependency on commercial supply chains and functioning critical infrastructure.

Fredrik Kangas

Managing Director, Kiruna Wagon

Fredrik Kangas has been the managing director for the railway logistic company Kiruna Wagon, since the start 17 years ago.
Kiruna Wagon, that produces railway ore wagons, have progressed from being a local company and grown into a global brand with development, production and maintenance of railway based ore transport solutions. Great performance with high demands on productivity and a challenging environment is the core of the company.

Elisabeth Sinclair

Project leader, The North Bothnia Line Group

Gusten Granström

CEO, Norrbotniabanan AB