Greenland has little interest in harnessing its massive resource potential to become a top mining country.
The world’s largest island has been thrust into the geopolitical spotlight in recent months, with U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly saying that Washington should control the autonomous Danish territory — even refusing to rule out the use of military or economic force.
Trump’s pursuit of Greenland comes as mining executives describe the race for the Arctic island’s largely untapped extractable resources as an “enormous opportunity.” However, Greenland’s harsh climate, remote landscape and lack of infrastructure have all been cited as barriers to the island’s strategic potential.
Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for business and mineral resources, told CNBC that exploiting some of the territory’s highly prized minerals is “absolutely possible and viable,” noting that several mining projects are already underway.
“We do have projects underway that I think are very promising: graphite, gold, copper, nickel, molybdenum and so on. Rare earths as well,” Nathanielsen told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Friday.
