Boliden invests 72+ million in metals leaching plant

Boliden has invested more than EUR 72 million in a leaching plant in the Swedish city of Skelleftehamn, where it already operates a smelter that is one of the largest e-scrap recycling facilities in the world. The plant will become operational at the end of 2020, and is meant to extract more metal from residual material.

Boliden’s new leaching plant will produce production will total 25 ktonnes of lead sulphate and 25 ktonnes of copper/zinc sulphate annually.

The permit for the novel leaching centre, which comprises a 45 x 135 meter building located next to the quay in the Rönnskär industrial area, is expected to be granted in September. The facility will allow Boliden to significantly reduce the amount of waste for disposal in the deep repository at Rönnskär.

Competitive smelter

‘The investment is fully in line with our strategy to extract as much metal as technically possible from existing raw materials,’ comments Kerstin Konradsson, president Boliden Smelters. ‘This significant improvement in Rönnskär’s resource efficiency will both enhance the smelter’s competitiveness and reduce the volumes of materials for disposal,’ he remarks.

Konradsson points out that the new investment follows the ongoing investment of EUR 62 million in the deep repository at Rönnskär, expected to be completed by 2020.

Boliden’s core competence is within the fields of exploration, mining, smelting and metals recycling. The company currently employs around 5700 people and has an annual turnover of some EUR 5 billion. 

‘Strong second quarter’

Meanwhile, Boliden reports that its second quarter of 2018 was characterised by continued favourable prices and terms, resulting in improved profits. Revenues for the period totalled almost EUR 1.5 million.

‘This was a strong quarter, despite grades falling short of the very high grades noted in the first quarter which was expected,’ observes company ceo Mikael Staffas. ‘The reduction in volume was, however, offset by improved prices and terms, and by the success of Smelters’ measures to improve process stability and its expansion projects,’ the businessman notes.

www.boliden.com