Greenland Rejects Energy Transition Minerals’ Licence Renewal for Kuannersuit Rare Earth Project

Copenhagen: Greenland has rejected an application by Greenland Minerals, a subsidiary of Australia’s Energy Transition Minerals (ETM), to renew its exploration licence for the Kuannersuit (Kvanefjeld) rare earth project. The government said continued exploration was unlikely to result in a mine that could be developed under the country’s existing Uranium Act.

The Kuannersuit project is considered one of the world’s largest rare earth deposits but has remained stalled since Greenland introduced legislation restricting uranium-related mining. Authorities maintained that, under the current legal framework, extending the exploration licence would serve no practical purpose.

Energy Transition Minerals has been engaged in a long-running legal dispute with the Greenlandic government over the project and has argued that the licence should be renewed. The company’s flagship project has attracted global attention due to its potential role in supplying critical minerals used in clean energy technologies, electronics, and defence industries.