Swedish iron ore producer LKAB has announced that it will implement maintenance works at the processing plants KA2 and KK3 located in Kiruna, implying restrictions amid the coronavirus, and stopping production activities. This will be the third maintenance work carried out during the pandemic.
The coronavirus is not the only threat for the company’s operations, as SteelOrbis understands. On May 18, a major seismic event occurred at the Kiruna mine, which affected the supply of raw materials to the processing plants. The production activities in two of the 11 areas were idled.
“We have worked hard to maintain our business in these difficult conditions. It is a big challenge but we need to continue to focus on the future and that is why the production stop for the maintenance is extremely important for LKAB to be able to continue to produce, build welfare, create jobs and pay taxes,” said Jan Carlsten, processing manager at LKAB in Kiruna.
The maintenance work will begin on September 20 and is expected to last until October 19. The stop time is slightly longer than usual because of a radiator change in KK3.