NCC confirmed it was commissioned by LKAB for the raising of dam walls at its site in Kiruna, Sweden for long-term ore tailings storage.
Under the SEK 170 million (US$15.9 million) deal, NCC will raise walls on two sections of the tailings dam at the Kiruna mine’s industrial site in 2023 and 2024. The contract includes foundation work on the dam toe of these two sections and raising the crest of the dams by six and two meters, respectively.
Raising the crest will require significant excavation and filling work – approximately 300,000 m³ of excavation and approximately 800,000 m³ of filling. The height increases are being conducted at the rate required to meet the measured storage needs and at the rate permitted under the applicable environmental permit.
NCC will also install power supply for measuring wells and lay drainage pipes and soakaways.
“One prerequisite for the production of iron ore at the Kiruna mine is that we continuously safeguard the storage of ore tailings,” said LKAB Project Division Advisor Mattias Ejnestrand.
“For this to work, we must continually raise the walls of the tailings dam so it can store more ore tailings. To create the optimal conditions in terms of time and cost efficiency, we have now entered a collaboration with NCC to guarantee storage over the long term.”
Robert Nilsson, production manager at NCC Infrastructure in Kiruna, added that NCC has built dams in the past, and has long and solid experience from similar assignments around the Malmfälten mining district.
The contract is a partnering agreement and will be registered among orders in the NCC Infrastructure business area in the third quarter of 2023. The project is scheduled for completion in autumn 2024.
Source: ncc.se