Thunderstorms in Arctic Sweden cost mining company
The intense thunderstorms in Sweden this summer cost mining company LKAB hundreds of millions of kroner, due to forced standstills.
The Swedish company reports losing about one percent of its annual production when the thunderstorms affected power lines, and mining facilities in the northern region, were forced to shut down production to avoid electrical problems. Kiruna and Svappavaara in Arctic Sweden were among the affected areas.
According to the company’s production manager Markus Petäjäniemi, the storms cost the company somewhere between 250,000 and 300,000 tonnes of finished product, mainly in iron ore pellets. Petäjäniemi estimates the value to be several hundred million kronor.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Canada’s Northwest Territories hosts mining conference, CBC News
Finland: Lapland to host Finland’s biggest mine, Yle News
Greenland: Analysis: Implications of Greenland’s decision to allow uranium mining, Blog by Mia Bennett
Russia: Oil companies push ahead with plans in Russia and Canada while sidelined in the U.S., Blog by Mia Bennett
Sweden: Arctic mining company to continue debt restructuring, Radio Sweden
United States: Is Alaska getting its fair share from mining?, Alaska Dispatch
