Tasman Metals appoints Swedish project manager for Norra Karr project

Tasman Metals (CVE:TSM) announced Tuesday it has appointed Dr. Henning Holmström of Sweden to act as project development manager for its Norra Karr heavy rare earth and Zirconium project in Sweden.
The Norra Karr project is located in southern Sweden, approximately 300 kilometres southwest of Stockholm, and covers 549.4 hectares.
Holmström will be responsible for overseeing the environmental and permitting process, as well as maintaining contact with local officials, to whom a 0.25% royalty is paid on production, and shared between taxpayers and the government.
With 16 years of experience in the mining sector, Holmström has held titles including client sector leader of mining in Scandinavia for the consulting group, Golder Associates. He has also offered consulting services to several companies across Europe, including Gold Ore Resources, Avalon Minerals and Greenland Minerals and Energy.
"Tasman is very pleased to have attracted someone as experienced in the Swedish mining sector as Dr. Holmström to our team," said president and CEO, Mark Saxon.
"Tasman is advancing the Norra Karr heavy rare earth project rapidly and Dr. Holmström's proven leadership and skills in permitting and environmental management will greatly facilitate the company in achieving its milestones at this highly promising and strategic project."
The demand for rare earth elements, like those at Norra Karr, is increasing, due to the metals unique properties that make them essential for high technology and environmentally-beneficial applications. Since over 95% of REE supply is sourced from China, the European Union is supporting policy to ensure domestic supply of the metals.
Tasman's current inferred mineral resource for the project shows 60.5 million tonnes grading 0.54% total rare earth oxide (TREO) and 1.72% zirconium, with 53.7% of the TREO being the higher valued heavy rare earths, at a cut-off grade of 0.4%.
But recent drill results show grades well above the current resource. In late June, drill hole NKA11038 found 0.68% total rare earth oxides (TREOs) and 1.85% zirconium oxide (ZrO2) over 241.3 metres, at a cut off of 0.2%.