The County Administrative Board of Norrbotten has rejected LKAB application concerning dewatering of the old Leveäniemi open pit mine in Svappavaara. According to the County Administrative Board decision, approval cannot be granted owing to the many uncertainties associated with the project.

Mr Per-Erik Lindvall senior VP Technology and Business Development, LKAB in response to the decision said “In managing its operations, LKAB strives to meet very high targets with respect to environmental protection, commented. We will now propose a technical solution that will prevent environmental impact caused by the dewatering of Leveäniemi. Our ambition, together with the County Administrative Board and other stakeholders, is to find a solution that will enable pumping to begin as soon as possible.”

The now water filled Leveäniemi open-pit mine in Svappavaara, 40 kilometers southeast of Kiruna was operated by LKAB from 1964 to 1983, when it was closed due to a market downturn. Mining of Leveäniemi and the Gruvberget and Mertainen open pits will help LKAB to realize its objective to increase production by 35% by 2015.