In mid-March, abnormally high seismic activity was reported at the Garpenberg zinc mine in Sweden, prompting production to cease until inspections could be safely completed. Boliden reported that seismic activity has decreased and mining production will restart in the second quarter, but first-quarter throughput was lower than expected due to the situation.
The miner said inspections are not yet complete, but production in the most affected part of the underground mine – the upper parts of the Lappberget ore body – is not expected to resume in 2026. However, other mining positions in Lappberget, as well as in the two other ore bodies of the mine, are considered to be largely unaffected, and production from these will commence in the second quarter.
Until further notice, Garpenberg’s production is therefore estimated to be around 30% of the guided capacity of 3.7 million tonnes per year. For the first quarter of 2026, EBITDA will be negatively affected by approximately SEK -400 million.
Inspections have shown that a large part of the mine infrastructure, including crushers, hoist system and workshops, is largely unaffected by the seismic activity. However, the inspections have also shown that a significant amount of media, such as ventilation, pressure air systems, water management, electrical infrastructure and backfill paste have been damaged and need to be renovated.
Source: Boliden