Kankberg is located in the Boliden Area and is a zinc and copper mine that last was in production in the 1990's, when the gold and tellurium deposits also were discovered. Kankberg, operative in 2012, will be Boliden's fifth gold mine with an expected life of mine until 2020.
The 475 million investment will be made in 2011 and 2012, partially in installations, development and equipment below the surface, and partially in the rebuilding of the Boliden Area's concentrator and gold leaching plant.
The mine's ore reserve amounts to 2.78 million tonnes. The gold and tellurium content in the ore reserve is 4.1 grams per tonne and 186 grams per tonne respectively. The annual average gold production will amount to approximately 1,150 kg, while the average annual tellurium production will amount to 41 tonnes. Tellurium, which is a very rare metal, is mainly used today as an alloying material in steel and as a semi-conductor in solar cells, where there is a strong increasing growth in demand.
Presentation