The price of iron ore - Relocating an entire city in Sweden | DW Documentary

Key Concepts

• Urban Relocation: The systematic dismantling and moving of Kiruna’s infrastructure due to ground instability caused by mining.
• LKAB (Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara AB): The state-owned Swedish mining company responsible for the iron ore extraction and the funding/management of the city's relocation.
• Sublevel Caving: The mining method used by LKAB, which involves blasting ore from deep underground, causing the surface ground to collapse and deform.
• Rare Earth Elements (REEs): Strategically important minerals found in new deposits near Kiruna, essential for modern technology and European industrial independence.
• Sami Indigenous Rights: The conflict between industrial expansion and the traditional reindeer herding practices of the Sami people.

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1. The Relocation of Kiruna

Kiruna, located 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, is undergoing a massive, century-defining relocation. Because the iron ore deposit extends diagonally beneath the city, underground blasting has rendered the current location structurally unsafe.

• Scale: Approximately 6,000 people (one-third of the population) are losing their homes.
• Infrastructure: Entire neighborhoods are being demolished. A new city center was inaugurated in 2022, designed to be more compact and sustainable, though critics argue it feels "artificial" and lacks the character of the original town.
• The Church: Voted Sweden’s most beautiful building, the wooden church was moved 3 km to the new center. The process involved gutting the interior, placing the 672-ton structure on specialized hydraulic trailers, and transporting it at a speed of 0.5 km/h. The operation cost over 45 million euros.

2. The Mining Operation: Economic vs. Social Impact

LKAB operates the world’s largest underground iron ore mine.

• Technical Operations: The mine features a 500 km labyrinth of tunnels. Extraction is highly automated, utilizing robots like "Spea" to inspect tunnels after blasts and remote-controlled excavators that handle 25 tons of ore per bucket.
• Strategic Importance: The mine produces enough ore daily to build six and a half Eiffel Towers. LKAB is currently targeting new deposits rich in phosphorus and rare earth elements, which they argue are vital for European independence from Chinese and Russian supply chains.
• Economic Disconnect: While the mine is the city's lifeblood, residents like Jari Suorinki and Lena Brainstorm express frustration that the massive profits flow to Stockholm rather than being reinvested into local social infrastructure or cultural institutions like the "Tusen Toner" music club, which is slated for demolition without a replacement.

3. Impact on the Sami People

The expansion of the mine poses an existential threat to the Sami, Europe’s last indigenous people.

• Reindeer Herding: The Sami rely on vast, undisturbed grazing lands. The mine and its associated infrastructure create barriers that block traditional migration corridors between summer mountain pastures and winter lowland forests.
• Human Rights Concerns: The Sami report having almost no influence in the decision-making process, describing the situation as a violation of their rights and a continuation of the historical exploitation of Northern Sweden.

4. Methodology of Relocation

The relocation is not a simple "move" but a phased demolition and reconstruction:

1. Structural Assessment: Identifying zones of ground deformation caused by mining.
2. Preservation: Selecting historic buildings (41 in total) to be hoisted onto trailers and moved to the new site to maintain a sense of local identity.
3. New Urban Planning: Designing a compact, modern city center.
4. Public Relations: Using events like the church move to foster community engagement, though many residents view this as a "PR stunt" that masks the ongoing loss of their heritage.

5. Notable Quotes

• Lena Brainstorm: "We were given so many promises. Nice words, but in the end, it's all just rubble."
• Anonymous Resident: "The mine is a cash cow for the Swedish state. Northern Sweden has been exploited like a colony for centuries."
• Niklas Johansson (LKAB PR Director): "We have to stay on the cutting edge of technology to remain competitive."

6. Synthesis and Conclusion

The relocation of Kiruna serves as a stark case study in the tension between industrial necessity and community preservation. While LKAB frames the move as a technological triumph and a strategic necessity for European prosperity, the residents experience it as a loss of home, history, and social cohesion. The "new" Kiruna, while modern, struggles to replace the cultural fabric of the old city. Furthermore, the announcement that another third of the city must be relocated shortly after the church move suggests that the mine’s expansion is an insatiable process, leaving the future of the city’s remaining residents and the Sami people in a state of permanent uncertainty.