Continued mining affects more of Kiruna
LKAB is now updating the impact area in Kiruna. Continued mining at the current main level means that more land will need to be claimed. “It will be a challenge for the residents of Kiruna, the municipality, and us at LKAB, but fundamentally it is positive that we have so much ore that we can continue operations and invest in our shared future,” says President and CEO Jan Moström.
On August 28, LKAB is presenting an updated deformation forecast for Kiruna. The expanded impact area is largely evenly distributed along the previous estimated impact line. This means that an additional approximately 2,700 homes and 6,000 people will be affected by the ongoing urban transformation.
“We are seeing a greater impact from our current mining operations, while exploration in recent years has given us a clearer picture of the deposits. The ore continues to extend eastward under the old town, but also northward, where it remains open at depth – in other words, we don’t see the end of it yet. That’s why we now want to take action to compensate and develop new residential areas,” says Jan Moström.
LKAB’s forecasts for how much land will be affected by mining are based on a number of factors. These include the shape and composition of the ore body, mining plans, global market demand, and various measurement data. Deformations from current mining are monitored, and drill core samples from the surrounding bedrock are analyzed to assess how it will behave when the ore is extracted nearby.
“It’s a constant learning process. The Kiruna mine is unique in many ways, and no one else is extracting iron ore at such depths and in such volumes as we are. The movements that have occurred in the mountain’s natural structures, combined with our ore deposits, have made it necessary for us to revise our calculations — and that’s one of the reasons why the impacted area is expanding,” says Jan Moström.
The expanded area will need to be compensated for over the next ten years in order for mining operations to continue, at an estimated cost of around SEK 22.5 billion. This expanded urban transformation is a prerequisite for LKAB’s current and future operations, which in turn are crucial for Kiruna’s future.
“Even if we stopped the mine today, the deformations would continue for many years. If we want to keep a mine in Kiruna, the area has to be transformed. A vibrant Kiruna is essential for our operations, and for both us and society to continue developing, we need to carry this out — in close cooperation with those affected,” says Stefan Hämäläinen, Senior Vice President Community Development at LKAB.
Extensive efforts are now started to initiate dialogue with affected property owners, residents, the people of Kiruna, the municipality, and authorities in order to plan and manage the continued transformation of the community. As a first step, LKAB will invite all those affected to meetings to share information and listen to their views. For the past year, LKAB and the Municipality of Kiruna have been in discussions about compensating for several municipal buildings and facilities affected by the mine that lie outside the previously estimated impact area.
“We have a big task ahead of us. A major advantage is that we know so much more now than when the transformation of Kiruna began in 2004. Back then, we often said we didn’t have the answers — because nothing like this had ever been done before. Now we have extensive knowledge and experience to build on,” says Stefan Hämäläinen.
For more information, please contact:
Mikko Viitala, Acting Group Media Relations Manager, LKAB phone: +46 10 144 81 63, e-mail: mikko.viitala@lkab.com
Media on-call service: phone: +46 771 76 00 10, e-mail: press@lkab.com
LKAB is an international mining and minerals group that offers iron ore, minerals and special products. We are committed to developing carbon-free processes by 2045, leading the transformation of the iron and steel industry. Since 1890 we have developed through unique innovations and technological solutions and are driven forward by more than 5,000 employees in 12 countries. In 2024, the LKAB group had sales of about SEK 33 billion. www.lkab.com
