Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Mining · Greenland · 2021

Kvanefjeld project owner seeks up to $11.5bn from Greenland over uranium ban

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 1 none on record · 2 insufficient · 1 not measured See the gaps

Greenland banned uranium exploration and production in uranium-bearing deposits in 2021, and the owner of the Kvanefjeld project began an arbitration backed by Burford Capital seeking up to $11.5 billion. The dispute tests whether a state's uranium ban can be challenged through investor claims.

What?
The owner of the Kvanefjeld project began an arbitration against Greenland after its 2021 ban on uranium-bearing deposits, seeking up to $11.5 billion. Inside Climate News
Where?
Greenland Inside Climate News
When?
Ban in 2021; Inside Climate News report in December 2024 Inside Climate News
Who?
Gained
  • Kvanefjeld project owner (not named in the sources reviewed) — seeks up to $11.5 billion in compensation Inside Climate News
  • Burford Capital — funds the arbitration; its share of any award is not stated in the sources reviewed Inside Climate News
Lost
None on record
Harmed
None on record
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Investor-state arbitration financed by Burford Capital. Inside Climate News
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

Greenland banned exploration and production in deposits containing uranium in 2021, according to Inside Climate News.

The Kvanefjeld project owner began an arbitration financed by Burford Capital and said it could seek up to $11.5 billion in compensation.

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    1. Ongoing
      Kvanefjeld project owner v. Greenland (uranium ban)
      Not named in the sources reviewed · investor-state arbitration · Kvanefjeld project owner (not named in the sources reviewed) → Greenland

      The arbitration over the 2021 uranium ban was pending; compensation of up to $11.5 billion was sought. Inside Climate News

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Record

    • Insufficient Reported but not verified: in October 2025 the tribunal decided that the licence question should be heard in Greenland's courts.
    • Insufficient Reported but not verified: in June 2026 Greenland refused to renew the exploration licence (Mining Weekly, 29 June 2026).
    • None on record The sources reviewed do not name the owner of the Kvanefjeld project.

    Did the harm stop?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Who paid?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Press and investigations

    Terms used on this page

    Law and courts

    Arbitration
    A private dispute process in which an appointed arbitrator, instead of a court, decides the case.
    Similar cases
    Mining · Insurance declined or withdrawn · International waters (Pacific Ocean) · 2011
    The Metals Company deep-sea nodule mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (NOAA permit route)
    Same type: MiningSame regionCourt: ongoing
    Mining · International waters (Pacific Ocean) · 2022–2026
    Deep-sea mining: TMC, NORI, the NOAA permit and the ISA
    Same type: MiningSame regionCourt: ongoing
    Mining · Türkiye · 2018–2026
    Kirazlı gold mine (Alamos Gold), Kaz Dağları, Çanakkale
    Same type: MiningCourt: ongoingHarm to nature not measured
    Mining · Water use · India · 2023–2026
    Tamil Nadu sand quarries measured by drone
    Same type: MiningCourt: ongoingHarm to nature not measured
    Mining · Serbia · 2022–2025
    Jadar lithium project
    Same type: MiningCourt: ongoingHarm to nature not measured
    Mining · Nauru · 1920–1993
    Nauru and Banaba phosphate mining compensation
    Same type: MiningSame regionHarm to nature not measured