Overview
| Stage | Production |
| Mine Type | Underground |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Production Start | ...  |
| Mine Life | 2035 |
Kiruna is one of the world's largest underground mines for iron ore production.
In October the Land and Environment Court rejected LKAB’s permit application for the existing operations in Kiruna in its entirely. The decision has been appealed.
A seismic event on 18 May 2020 caused extensive damage in the Kiruna mine. Nobody was injured, but production of crushed ore from the mine was affected during the rest of the year.
Work to repair the damage and ensure future safety has made good progress and it is hoped that full production will be resumed in 2022. |
Source:
p. 2
LKAB is a limited liability company that is wholly owned by the Swedish state.
Contractors
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Summary:
The Kiirunavaara ore body consists of magnetite ore with magmatic intrusions. The ore body stretches about 4km along the strike in the N 10° E direction with an average width of around 80m, dipping at about 60° SE towards the Kiruna city (Nordqvist and Wimmer, 2014). The average iron content for the ore body is 64% (Nordqvist and Wimmer, 2014), but the grade varies, and the iron content can reach up to 69% (Rutanen, 2011). In general, the ore quality is better in the middle part of the ore body and poor near the hanging wall and footwall contact (Henrikki Rutanen, personal communications, 2015).
Summary:
In Kiruna, mining takes place in an underground mine with a current main haulage level 1,365 metres below ground.
The Kiirunavaara mine has a continuous and massive ore deposit which allows a standard mine design layout.
Most of the mining at the Kiirunavaara mine is done via transverse SLC layout; i.e. cross cuts are oriented perpendicular to the strike of the ore body. Longitudinal SLC is practiced in some areas where the ore width is narrow; i.e. the drifts and cross cuts are parallel to the strike of the ore body. The general mine layout at the Kiirunavaara mine has evolved over a long period; its hybrid layout can adapt to ore width and shape. Some transverse drifts transform into longitudinal drifts near the hanging walls, allowing better recovery. Other transverse drifts branch to accommodate either the ore shape or to handle disturbed mining areas with the objective of reducing development costs. In general transverse SLC layout is preferred over longitudinal SLC layout due to rock mechanics related issues (Patricia Boeg-Jensen, Personal communication, 2015).
The sublevel interval in the Kiirunavaara mine is 29m (floor to floor) and drift spacing is 24.7m (centre to centre) (Susanne Karppinen, personal communication, 2015). The drift spacing is 21m (centre to centre) for blocks 38 and 41 (Susanne Karppinen, personal communication, 2015). The production drift is 7m wide and 5.2m high (Jonsson, 2015).
The Kiirunavaara mine use ........
Source:
Summary:
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Production:
| Commodity | Product | Units | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|
Iron Ore
|
Pellets & Fines
|
Mt
| ...... * | ...... * | | | | |
|
Iron Ore
|
Pellets
|
Mt
| | | ...... | 15 | 15 | 14 |
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Operational Metrics:
| Metrics | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|
Ore tonnes mined
| 26.9 Mt | 27.4 Mt | 27.5 Mt | 26.9 Mt |
|
Daily ore mining rate
| 75,000 t | 85,000 t | | |
Reserves at December 31, 2021:
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade |
|
Proven
|
336 Mt
|
Iron
|
42.2 %
|
|
Probable
|
494 Mt
|
Iron
|
41.2 %
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
830 Mt
|
Iron
|
41.6 %
|
|
Measured
|
112 Mt
|
Iron
|
64 %
|
|
Indicated
|
481 Mt
|
Iron
|
61.9 %
|
|
Inferred
|
90 Mt
|
Iron
|
56 %
|
|
Total Resource
|
683 Mt
|
Iron
|
61.4 %
|
Financials:
| | Units | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|
Capital expenditures
|
M SEK
| ...... |
616
|
747
|
883
|
|
Revenue
|
M SEK
| ...... |
13,275
|
|
|
|
Operating Income
|
M SEK
| ...... |
4,102
|
4,181
|
|
| HME Type | Model | Size | Quantity | Status | Ref. Date |
|
Loader
|
.......................
|
25 t
|
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Existing
|
Jan 15, 2021
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Loader
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Existing
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Jan 15, 2021
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Proposed
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Jan 15, 2021
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Loader
|
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Existing
|
Jan 15, 2021
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Scoop Tram
|
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Existing
|
Jan 21, 2021
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