Energy Transition Minerals (ETM) has raised criticism against the Greenland government following the rejection of its exploration licence extension for the Kvanefjeld rare earth project.
The company criticised the decision by Greenland’s Ministry of Business and Mineral Resources to deny the extension application, held by ETM’s wholly owned subsidiary, Greenland Minerals.
ETM said the decision is in stark contrast to Greenland’s repeated public assurances that it welcomes responsible international investment.
ETM Managing Director Daniel Mamadou stated that the decision directly contradicts Greenland’s public claims of welcoming international investment.
“Greenland has positioned itself as open for business. This decision creates a different impression,” Mamadou said.
“The broader stakes extend beyond ETM, too: companies and investors considering Greenland will draw their own conclusions about the predictability of its regulatory process.”
The company raised serious questions regarding procedural fairness, highlighting that the Ministry took nine months to review the application before enforcing an impractical 48-hour deadline to respond to complex geological assessments. A request for a one-week extension was flatly refused.
According to ETM, the rushed process meant authorities completely disregarded the new 2025 exploration data. The fresh data proved that uranium concentrations across the new mineralised target zones fell well below the thresholds mandated by Greenland’s controversial 2021 Uranium Act.
The decision has broader strategic ramifications for Western allies, including Australia, the United States, and the European Union, who are actively working to break dependencies on concentrated critical mineral supplies.
If operational, Kvanefjeld has the capacity to account for up to 15 per cent of the global rare earth element supply.
ETM confirmed that the licence area will not be reallocated to other corporate entities while broader legal proceedings continue.
The company is currently consulting with its legal advisers to evaluate all available remedies, including launching a formal challenge under Greenlandic administrative law.
