Vista partners in new podcast on "The mineral industry of tomorrow"

Vista partners John Magne Skjelvik and Rasmus Bøgh Holmen participate in a new podcast called "The mineral industry of tomorrow", hosted by the Norwegian Polytechnic Society. The podcast comes in the wake of the Government's publication of its long-anticipated minerals strategy on 21 June. Other participants in the podcast are Head of Politics and Society in the Norwegian Mining Industry, Lars-Erik Sletner, and Director of the Norwegian Directorate for Mineral Management with the Mining Directorate for Svalbard, Randi Grini.

Skjelvik has followed the mineral industry closely for a number of years, both as a bureaucrat and consultant. He participates in the podcast as an expert and points out that the podcast addresses a number of topics in the Government strategy.

- It is an interesting signal that the Government aims for Norway to become one of the most environmentally friendly mineral producers in the world. In this context, discussions about the trade-offs associated with landfill and marine disposals could set some premises for further development, says Skjelvik.

He also points out that handling conflicts of interest between business development and considerations for the local population and nature are well-known issues that are addressed both in the podcast and in the Government's new mineral strategy.

Holmen emphasizes that the mineral industry plays a key role in business development in many local communities and in deliveries in many value chains, even though the industry is not as large nationwide. The industry is particularly strong in Western Norway and Northern Norway. Extraction of rare earth minerals and extraction at sea represent exciting development opportunities, according to Holmen.

- The industry's climate footprint and vulnerabilities in the international value chains contribute to the need for a European mineral industry. I note that the Government's strategy addresses both the industry's call for risk capital and streamlining the process towards production, says Holmen.

The podcast is part of the Norwegian Polytechnic Society’s podcast series "Industries of tomorrow". Holmen is the host of the podcast series on behalf of the Norwegian Polytechnic Society, where he also leads the society’s economics network.

Holmen officially joins Vista Analyse as a partner in August.