Boliden continues to grow organically

Boliden’s Board of Directors has resolved to invest SEK 250 million in a new autogenous grinding mill at the company’s Tara Mine in Ireland. At the same time, the Group management has resolved to go ahead with the investigation into increasing capacity for recycling of electronic scrap and lead refining at the Rönnskär copper smelter.

The projects are entirely in line with Boliden’s strategies – to invest in internal growth projects and to develop and expand the electronic scrap recycling operations. Organic growth projects within the Group are currently underway to the amount of approximately SEK 6.1 billion, the largest of which is the SEK 5.2 billion Aitik project.

The investment at Boliden’s zinc mine, Tara, will cut operating costs for grinding by 50 per cent. Together with previous investments at Tara, e.g. in dewatering, the overall operating costs for the concentrator will be reduced by 30 per cent. By replacing the existing crushing and grinding system with a new circuit for autogenous grinding, Boliden expects to increase the zinc yield and improve the work environment through noise and dust reduction. The project is scheduled to be concluded by the end of 2009.

“Our pre-feasibility study into a capacity increase for electronic scrap recycling and lead refining at the Rönnskär copper smelter has progressed to the next phase. The preconditions for doubling capacity will be further investigated in a feasibility study, due to be completed at the turn of the year. This is mainly a question of establishing technologies and the investment level,” says Svante Nilsson, President, Business Area Smelters at Boliden.