40 E&MJ; • OCTOBER 2017 www.e-mj.com
NORDIC MINING 2017
Europe and hosts the company's largest
mineral reserves.
... in Sweden ...
Meanwhile in Sweden, Agnico Eagle
has a 55% interest in the Barsele gold
prospect, where inferred mineral resourc-
es are estimated to be 21.7 million mt
grading 1.72 g/mt of gold, containing
1.2 million oz. The company has report-
ed that the deposit appears to have bulk
tonnage and underground potential.
Agnico Eagle can increase its holding to
70% by completing a prefeasibility study
on the property, which, it said, appears to
be geologically similar to its Goldex de-
posit in Québec.
Since 2015, Lundin Mining has been
working on a project to increase plant ca-
pacity at Zinkgruvan in central Sweden
by 10%, with successful commissioning
achieved earlier this year. The company
has also been increasing the capacity of
the mine's tailings dam. The embank-
ment reached its final height last Novem-
ber, and the first phase of the new dam
should be completed shortly.
The mine produced 78,500 mt of zinc
during the year, 31,600 mt of lead and
just 1,900 mt of copper. No copper ore
was processed for much of the year, with
the company maximizing plant capacity for
higher-value zinc-lead ore. Lundin reported
that current reserves are sufficient to sup-
port mining for at least another 10 years.
At the end of last year, Boliden pub-
lished updated reserve estimates that
provide an indication of the potential
residual lifespans of its operations.
Garpenberg in Sweden currently tops the
Loading ore at Boliden's Garpenberg mine, where exploration during 2016 doubled the reserves and, hence, the
mine life. (Photo: Boliden)