19.05.2009
The restart of mining opens a new era for Kirkenes, the Norwegian border town to Russia.
The
Sydvaranger Mine company last Thursday detonated the first explosives in its mine south of Kirkenes, thus marking the restart of iron mining in the Arctic border town.
Since the
Sydvaranger company closed down in 1996, the mining town of Kirkenes has had to do without miners. Now the restart of the industry opens a new era in the small town. In the course of the few next months, the mines will be back up running. The project has an estimated mine life of 19 years at an annual production rate of 7 Mtpa of mill feed.
Kirkenes town Mayor Linda Randal says to newspaper
Sør-Varanger Avis that the mining industry might help the region get better prepared also for other industry. -I am confident that this makes us more attractive also for the Shtokman [developers] and for the eastern Barents Sea, she said in a mine opening ceremony last Thurday.
Commissioning of the operation is expected this summer, the mine developers say. It is the company
Sydvaranger Mine which will be the mine operators.
Sydvaranger Mine is owned by
Northern Iron, an Australia-registered company controlled by
Norwegian Tschudi Shipping.
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