Gruvaktiebolaget Viscaria has entered into a €40 million agreement with Finnish mining-equipment company Metso covering major processing systems for its copper project near Kiruna, Sweden. The contract includes crushing, flotation, magnetic separation, filtration, thickening, pumps, hydrocyclones, process analysers and engineering services. It follows previous orders covering SAG and ball mills.
Processing equipment procurement
The latest agreement places a substantial portion of Viscaria’s planned processing equipment with Metso and enables detailed engineering and procurement of critical machinery to proceed.
The concentrator is expected to represent one of the largest capital components of the project. Equipment covered by the agreement includes systems required across several stages of the planned processing circuit. The commitment follows progress in mine design, flowsheet development and capital planning, areas that have advanced sufficiently for major equipment procurement to begin.
Planned copper concentrate production
Viscaria’s project is designed to produce approximately 120,000 tonnes of copper concentrate annually. If completed according to plan, the operation would make Viscaria Sweden’s second-largest copper producer.
The development is located near Kiruna, an established mining region with existing infrastructure, technical capabilities and a mining-services industry. The area also hosts some of Europe’s largest mining operations. The equipment order covers machinery such as mills, flotation systems and filtration equipment that can involve lengthy manufacturing lead times.
European copper investment
The investment comes as European policymakers seek to increase domestic production of copper and other metals used in electricity grids, renewable energy, electric vehicles and industrial electrification.
Expected copper demand has increased alongside grid development and broader electrification, raising the volume of metal required for power infrastructure. Europe continues to rely heavily on imported copper concentrates and refined copper. Sweden’s established mining and processing base provides projects such as Viscaria with access to existing infrastructure, technical expertise and specialist mining-service capabilities.
Metso agreement supports project execution
For Viscaria, the agreement moves procurement of major processing systems forward as the project progresses from planning into construction execution. The company still faces requirements related to financing, construction, commissioning and production ramp-up, while the future concentrator will need to achieve its planned recoveries and concentrate quality during operations.
For Metso, the agreement adds to its involvement in European copper investment and covers an integrated package of processing technologies for the Swedish project. The €40 million commitment represents a further step in Viscaria’s procurement programme as development activity progresses toward construction and commissioning.
