A Danish-French consortium has been granted a 30-year license to extract anorthosite, a key component in aluminum production.
Greenland has authorized a Danish-French consortium to mine anorthosite, a rock resembling lunar material, for use as a more environmentally friendly substitute in aluminum manufacturing.
The permit, issued to Greenland Anorthosite Mining (GAM) on Wednesday, follows increased global interest in Greenland, particularly after U.S. President Donald Trump’s expressions of interest in purchasing the autonomous territory, which is part of Denmark.
Anorthosite, a white rock mainly composed of aluminum, micro silica, and calcium, will be processed by GAM for export. The company intends to market the crushed anorthosite to the fibreglass industry as a more sustainable alternative to kaolin. The Jean Boulle Group, a French investment firm, along with Greenlandic and Danish state investment funds, are backing the company.
Greenland’s Minister for Mineral Resources, Naaja Nathanielsen, stated that the project aims to expand operations to provide a climate-friendly alternative to bauxite in the production of aluminum, a crucial material for the manufacturing of aircraft, vehicles, and defense equipment.
“My hope is that the mine will be operational in five years,” she told Reuters.
Despite the heightened geopolitical attention, the minister indicated that the U.S. interest hasn’t yet translated into investments in Greenland.
Trump has suggested incorporating Greenland into the U.S., even proposing to buy the resource-rich territory from Denmark, and has alluded to the possibility of using force to bring it under U.S. control.
Nathanielsen commented that the intense discussion surrounding potential acquisition proposals hasn’t spurred increased direct investment. While Greenland has hosted visits from various investors, she emphasized that there has been “no concrete example of American funds being injected into Greenland’s business community” thus far. However, she noted that cooperation with EU partners is progressing.
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