Massive phosphate deposits discovered in southwestern Norway could power electric vehicles, solar panels and fertilizers for a century. The precious ore was discovered in 2018 by Norge Mining, which revealed in May that it had found 70 billion tonnes of the material.
Phosphate is rich in phosphorus, which is a key ingredient in many green technologies, fertilizers and more. The discovery comes at a critical time when Europe is facing severe phosphorus supply problems.
EU warning
In 2012, The Hague warned of an impending phosphate shortage. Russia controls the largest deposit of the chemical compound in question, but exports have been limited since the invasion of Ukraine. Morocco, China, Iran and Syria also have large deposits but here again the war has had a serious impact, with fertilizer costs soaring.
Phosphorus is used from cleaning the house to storing energy in our cells. Phosphates can be found in toothpaste, bones, table salt, fire extinguishers, DNA, and things that are hard to imagine.
Phosphate fertilizers have become essential to ensure global food production.
But its runoff has also been linked to algae blooms that threaten fish populations and produce planet-warming methane.
The new deposits found in Scandinavia could theoretically meet global demand for batteries and solar panels for up to 100 years.
The global economy trades 45 million metric tons of phosphorus each year.
After mining, the ore can be processed into phosphoric acid and supply a wide range of uses, including lithium iron phosphate batteries and animal feed.
It was not only phosphorus that was discovered in the area. There were also large deposits of critical raw materials titanium – often used to replace joints and in airplane construction – and vanadium – used to strengthen steel.
