A substantial deposit of phosphate rock has been discovered by Norge Mining in southwest Norway..The deposit has several minerals that can be used to make “green” technologies, such as batteries and solar panels, with enough minerals to meet the world's demand for the next 50 years..Norge Mining estimates that up to 70 billion tonnes of phosphate rock and other valuable minerals, such as titanium and vanadium, have been found..Phosphorus, an important part of 'green' technologies, was found for the first time in 1669 by a scientist named Hennig Brandt from Germany. .Brandt was trying to find something called the “philosopher's stone,” which could turn regular metals into gold. .Even though Brandt did not succeed in his search, phosphorus is essential in today's technology as it is used in batteries for electric cars, solar panels, and computer chips..Russia had control over the world’s biggest deposits of ultrapure phosphate rock until the Norway deposit was found. .The European Union (EU) had expressed concern that these “critical raw materials” had a high risk of running out..According to a Hague Centre for Strategic Studies report, the EU relies heavily on imports of phosphate rock from other countries..China, Iraq, and Syria are some of the countries that have the largest deposits of phosphate rock..The report from The Hague Centre raised concern about the European Union facing a shortage of phosphate rock, which came out before the enormous Norwegian deposit was found..The world economy uses about 50 million tonnes of phosphorus every year. .Scientists warned that if this continues, there could be a serious shortage of phosphorus, which they call “phosphogeddon.”.“The buyers’ market is becoming increasingly crowded by limited trade, due to political instability in several source countries, as well as international sanctions imposed on others,” said Norge Mining in a blog post. .“This is forcing importers to fear an impending crisis.”.Norway's Minister of Trade and Industry, Jan Christian Vestre, stated that the government is currently studying 47 miles of drill cores to analyze the potential development of the mine. .Once the analysis is completed, a decision will be made on whether to proceed..If approved, the mine could start operating as early as 2028.
