Facilities providing increased resource efficiency and long-term storage inaugurated

Boliden is today opening a new leaching plant and underground repository at Boliden Rönnskär. These two facilities will enable additional metal to be extracted from residual materials at Rönnskär and any remaining waste to be stored in a way that is sustainable in the long term.

"Our aim is to extract as much metal as possible from our raw materials while ensuring the best achievable environmental and climate performance. The investments we have now made represent a new chapter in Rönnskär's history in both of these areas," says Daniel Peltonen, President Boliden Smelters.

For many years, residual materials from smelting processes containing copper, zinc and lead, among other elements, have been stored temporarily at the Rönnskär site. These residual materials, together with future residues from production, will from this point on pass through the newly built leaching plant, where further metal extraction will take place. The remaining material will then be transported straight down to the underground repository, which is located about 350 meters below the site. Rönnskär thus becomes the only copper smelter in the world with a long-term, sustainable on-site storage solution. Investments in the two facilities have amounted to SEK 1.4 billion.

For further information, please contact:
Klas Nilsson, Director Group Communications, phone: +46 70-453 65 88