Mertainen is mothballed
LKAB’s new open-pit mine Mertainen outside Svappavaara will not be taken into production. The prevailing situation in the market means that the mine will be mothballed until circumstances change.Mertainen is one of three open-pit mines in the Svappavaara field which together were to increase LKAB’s delivery capacity. The decision to invest was taken in 2010, a time of high prices for coarse iron ore fines – a product to which the deposits in Mertainen are well suited. “The market has changed in recent years. The products from Mertainen cannot be made profitable at the moment. We are