OECD Mining Regions and Cities Case Study by OECD

Author:OECD
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: regions
Publisher: OECD Publishing
Published: 2019-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Towards an integrated strategy to unlock the mining potential

Outokumpu has a set of assets that can contribute to raising the role of the mining sector in the regional development of North Karelia. To mobilise this mining potential, the region needs to conduct a number of strategies.

First, clarify the role of the mining sector in the regional development plan and future opportunities for growth. While the region includes mining development as a part of the smart specialisation strategy on materials as enablers for growth, most of the growth opportunities in the region and the flagship programmes are focused on forestry and the bioeconomy. The “materials as enablers for growth” smart specialisation strategy allocates a high relevance to technology development and mobilisation of the related expertise in photonics, while the mining sector seems less of a priority. It implies a rather unclear regional strategy to promote the innovation ecosystem in the mining value chain. For example, the strategy to enhance the photonics industry, promoted as a key regional innovation programme, aims to scale up the value-added of the industry by linking competencies between different sectors. This type of support and strategic thinking – connecting ICT, technology and universities to strengthen the industry – is needed in the mining sector.

Second, enhance the international promotion of regional and Outokumpu’s mining assets. Outokumpu and North Karelia are absent from international fairs and events on mining. While Finland is a brand for sustainable mining and a favourable jurisdiction for mining, there is not recognition of Outokumpu within this brand. Furthermore, the promotion activities of North Karelia do not mention the local clusters and their potential in mining. The poor regional marketing of mining is related to a lack of a common vision of the mining role in regional planning and co-ordination challenges with the national strategy.

Finally, acknowledge the local mining clusters and involve the companies in the regional mining strategy. The extractive industry processing expertise strategy of North Karelia does not recognise the potential of a mining camp strategy and the mining-related industries in Outokumpu (GTK, Outotec). For example, GTK does not appear as an active player in the smart specialisation strategy of materials, unlike Lapland where the smart specialisation strategy has actively involved GTK along with other private companies and educational institutions (Box 2.5). For this, Business Joensuu can play an instrumental role in mapping mining assets and involving the private sector and local strategies with regional plans and strategic programmes on mining.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.