The small town of Narsaq in Southern Greenland has been caught up in geopolitics, as a treasure lies beneath the steep slopes of the surrounding fjords: large quantities of rare earths, but also uranium. The deposits are among the largest in the world and could help break China‘s quasi-monopoly on rare earth metals on the world market. The Kvanefjeld deposit is the second largest rare earth deposit after the Bayan Obo mine in China but is also the sixth largest uranium deposit in the world. The discovery brought the region into the international spotlight: China wanted to buy the mining licences from the licensees Greenland Minerals, while US President Trump renewed his claim to the entire island state after the US election in 2024.

The protests against the mine in Narsaq led to a change of government in the 2021 election. The new government under Mute B. Egede implemented the Uranium Act, which effectively banned the mining of rock with radioactive components. This was followed by a lawsuit by the licence holder against the state of Denmark and the Greenlandic government, with a claim for damages of USD 7.6 billion.

Although the Uranium Act has temporarily brought peace to Narsaq, it can be renegotiated with any new government and elections are due to be held in Greenland in April 2025. Independence from Denmark is being sought. Greenlandic scientists believe that the annual 500 million euros in Danish subsidies can only be offset by a stronger focus on mining.

The reportage takes a look at a divided region that has unwittingly become the focus of international attention and whose inhabitants are exhausted by the conflict that has been going on for decades while also looking at the economic potential of mining in the region.

View over Narsaq, Greenland. The Kvanefjeld/Kuannersuit plateau can be seen in the background in the left half of the image. The Kvanefjeld deposit in the south of Greenland is one of the largest uranium and rare earth deposits in the world and has been a point of debate for decades.
Ane Egede in her home in Narsaq. She left the town decades ago and returned with her husband in 2020. They firmly believed that the planned mining project was off the table, but there is still no guarantee. She is worried that the mine may cause damage to the environment and cause health issues.
Local hunter in the fishing harbour of Narsaq, Greenland.
Blood in the harbour basin of Narsaq after a seal was dismembered. The inhabitants of Greenland are still allowed to hunt seals.
Ore from the Kvanefjeld deposit at the former nuclear research center in Risø under UV light. 4700 tons of potential uranium ore were transported there in 1980. The uranium from the ore was planned to be used as a fuel for Denmarks nuclear program which was ultimately canceled in 1984.
Autoradiography of rocks from the Kvanefjeld plateau. The rocks were placed on photographic film and exposed for almost 2 weeks. The dark areas were exposed to radioactivity.
Snowstorm in Narsaq, Greenland.
In 1979 Danish scientists dug an tunnel under the Kvanefjeld plateau in order to find out if mining the rocks for its uranium content would be economical. 4.700 tons of rocks were transported to Denmark where the uranium was extracted. The project was discontinued as Denmark decided not to use nuclear energy in 1985.
The Kuannersuit/Kvanefjeld deposit was originally explored for its uranium content. To this end, drilling was carried out and exploration tunnels were constructed over a period of decades. Thousands of tons of rock were transported to Denmark for further examination, while the rest of the material remained in large piles in the valley near Narsaq. After the Danes decided in 1984 not to pursue nuclear power after all, the project was abandoned. The material transported to Denmark is treated as nuclear waste and stored accordingly. The rare earth elements, uranium, and thorium are bound in the mineral steenstrupine and are the target of mining companies. The orange-glowing mineral is sodalite, which glows under UV light. For the photograph, the rock left behind by the Danes was illuminated at night with UV light.
Sheep on a pasture in Qassiarsuk. Sheep farming is an important economic factor in South Greenland. The farmers were the driving force behind the anti-uranium protests surrounding the planned mine, as they feared that their products would be damaged by the radioactive dust from the planned open-cast mine.
Daniel Mamadou-Blanco, CEO of Greenland Minerals/Energy Transition Minerals during the boards visit in Narsaq, Greenland. ETM owns the exploration rights for the Kvanefjeld deposit in the south of Greenland which is one of the largest uranium and rare earth deposits in the world.
Protest posters of the Urani Naamik movement (Uranium - No thanks) outside the local gym in Narsaq, Greenland. The protest took place when GM/ETM's board visited Narsaq in Ferbruary 2025.
Protesters of the Urani Naamik movement (Uranium - No thanks) while waiting for the board of Greenland Minerals/Energy Transition Minerals to arrive in Narsaq, Greenland.
The US consulate in Nuuk opened in 2020. Greenland was colonized by Denmark in the early 18th century. The colonial era began with the missionary work of Hans Egede, whose statue still towers over the capital today. Despite enjoying extensive autonomy, many Greenlanders want complete independence and fear that joining the US could mark the beginning of a new colonial era.
View of the mountain range north of Narsaq which is also home to the Kvanefjeld/Kuannersuit plateau. Narsarsuaq, Greenland.
Drill hole in a rock in the valley below the Kuannersuit/Kvanefjeld plateau. Test drilling has been carried out at almost 250 locations on the Kvanefjeld plateau and the surrounding areas since 1958. Approximately 58 kilometres of drill cores have been obtained, from which the volume of the deposits can be derived.
Entrance to Greenland Minerals/Energy Transition Minerals office in Narsaq, Greenland.
Drill cores in ETM's warehouse in Narsaq. The company extracted 58 kilometer of drill cores from the area between 2007 and 2011.
Thin section of a rock from Greenland.
SEM images of a thin section of a rock from the Kvanefjeld plateau.
The remains of the rocks from the Kvanefjeld deposit which were transported to Denmark in 1980 are treated as nuclear waste. The state-owned company Danish Decommissioning has been working since the 2000s to clean the former nuclear research facility in Risø where the ore was examined.
Tailings pond in Risø, Denmark