Following the discovery of the rock, Jan Christian Vestre, Norway’s minister of trade and industry, said Norway had an “obligation” to develop “the world’s most sustainable mineral industry”.

Once mined, the ore can be processed into phosphoric acid and supply a broad range of uses, including lithium-iron-phosphate batteries and animal feed.

“When you find something of that magnitude in Europe, which is larger than all the other sources we know - it is significant,” founder and deputy CEO of Norge Mining, Michael Wurmser told news website Euractiv.

“We believe the phosphorus that we can produce will be important to the West - it provides autonomy,” he continued.

However, the refining of phosphorus has historically been very carbon intensive, which is partly why there has been little production in Europe in recent years.

Norge Mining plans to use carbon capture and storage to offset the environmental impact of production, though the efficacy of these technologies is often called into question.

It wasn’t just phosphate that was discovered at the site. Large deposits of critical raw materials titanium - used frequently for joint replacements and in building aeroplanes - and vanadium - used to strengthen steel - were also present.

• from the article.