On January 11, Swedish advanced iron ore products producer LKAB has announced that 2010 was the best year of the last decade for deliveries from LKAB, with a record level of 26 million mt achieved.
2010 was a record year for pellet production, LKAB said, adding that it now delivers only upgraded iron ore products.
The company pointed out that LKAB's record deliveries in 2010 are fully in line with its determined and strategic multi-billion-kronor investments of recent years, including pelletizing plants (the KK4 plant in Kiruna and the MK3 plant in Malmberget), a new harbor facility in Narvik, with increased capacity for shipping and with reduced environmental impact and new energy-efficient locomotives as well as new 100-ton cars specially designed for cold-climate conditions.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, in May 2010 LKAB opened its first new iron ore mine since the 1960s, i.e., the open pit mine at Gruvberget in Svappavaara. LKAB plans to open two more open pit mines in the Svappavaara area before 2015 with the aim of reaching an annual delivery capacity of 37 million mt of finished products.