Bluelake Mineral is advancing an ambitious cross-border copper-zinc mining project spanning Norway and Sweden, with plans to combine several historic mining areas into a single regional development platform.
The Joma–Stekenjokk–Levi project includes the Joma and Gjersvik deposits in Norway alongside Stekenjokk and Levi in Sweden. The concept aims to use the geological potential, infrastructure and mining history of the wider district to create a more integrated development than the individual deposits could support on their own.
Project Moves Toward Pre-Feasibility Study
Momentum increased after Norway approved the Joma zoning plan in 2025, allowing Bluelake to intensify work across geology, mine engineering, financing and permitting. The company is targeting completion of a pre-feasibility study in 2027, which is expected to provide the technical and economic foundation for environmental permit applications in both Norway and Sweden.
The project is notable because it is not based on a newly discovered mineral system. Joma operated between 1972 and 1998, processing approximately 11.5 million tonnes of ore. On the Swedish side, around 7 million tonnes were mined at Stekenjokk-Levi between 1976 and 1988. That history provides valuable geological and operational information, potentially reducing some of the uncertainty normally associated with greenfield exploration. However, the project still faces modern environmental, regulatory, technical and financing requirements.
Cross-Border Development Creates Challenges
Developing a mining operation across two national jurisdictions adds another layer of complexity. Bluelake must coordinate permitting, environmental assessments, infrastructure planning and regulatory procedures in Norway and Sweden. The two countries have separate approval systems, meaning the project cannot simply be treated as a conventional single-site mine.
At the same time, the cross-border structure offers potential advantages. Both copper and zinc are essential industrial metals, with copper playing a central role in electrification, power networks and renewable-energy infrastructure, while zinc remains important for steel production and other industrial applications. The Nordic region also offers established mining infrastructure, skilled technical expertise and relatively predictable regulatory frameworks.
Can Several Deposits Become One Mining System?
Bluelake’s strategy is effectively based on the idea that multiple medium-sized deposits can generate greater value when developed as a coordinated regional mining system.
Shared processing capacity, infrastructure and logistics could potentially improve the economics of individual deposits while reducing the need to develop every asset independently. The decisive test will come with the 2027 pre-feasibility study, which should clarify whether the geological resources, processing options, capital requirements and operating assumptions support a commercially viable project.
If the concept proves successful, Joma–Stekenjokk–Levi could offer a broader model for European mining development: revitalizing historic districts by integrating existing deposits and infrastructure rather than relying solely on large greenfield discoveries. For Norway, Sweden and the wider European critical-minerals sector, the project illustrates how brownfield resources and cross-border cooperation could help unlock new supplies of strategically important copper and zinc.
