Description

Located in Raahe, Nordic Mines Oy is a mining company which also conducts exploration. The company is owned by Swedish Nordic Mines Ab which, as of 30 June 2005, is headquartered in Stockholm. The mine exclusively produces gold. The company’s production was suspended on 26 March 2014.

The production process of the Laiva mine of Nordic Mines Oy comprises the following major phases: excavation, crushing, gravitational separation, flotation concentration, cyanide concentration, and the processing of tailings. Broken ore is fed via a jaw crusher to a temporary stockpile and, from there, to autogenous grinding. After grinding, material is led to a fast flotation cell and to gravitational separation. Separated materials are led to separate dissolution circuits (low and high grade) in which gold is dissolved using cyanide. Dissolved gold is recovered using active charcoal. Charcoal is transferred for further processing at the Como plant where gold is dissolved out of charcoal and conducted to an electrolytic process and then further to a casting process. After the cyanide dissolution process is complete, tailings waste is pumped to the areas designed to them.

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Toiminta-alue: Raahe

Yhteystiedot vastuullisuusasioissa:

Peter Finnäs
peter.finnas@nordicmines.com
+358 (0)50 338 5870

The company in figures in 2015

• Kokonaislouhinta: No production in 2015
• Raportoidut malmivarat: 9,367,000 tonnes
• Raportoidut mineraalivarannot: 24,320,000 tonnes
• Toiminnan aloitusvuosi: 2005 (exploration), 2011 (mining)
• Kaivoksen arvioitu jäljellä oleva elinikä: 0-7 years
• Kaivosalueen pinta-ala: 1,700 hectares
• Malminetsintäalueen pinta-ala: 2,470 hectares
• Omien työntekijöiden määrä: 40
• Työntekijöiden pääasialliset asuinkunnat: Raahe, Vihanti, Oulu
• Vakituisten urakoitsijoiden määrä: 5
• Käyttökate EBITDA: Unreported
• Maksettu yhteisövero: Unreported

About exploration

Nordic Mines Oy has conducted exploration in the areas surrounding Raahe since 2005. The company has valid claims and exploration permits amounting to 3,726 hectares (numbering 26):. in the Laiva area, 2,441 hectares; in Oltava, 402 hectares; in Tormua, 834 hectares. The exploration areas have been assessed as potentially containing gold. In exploration for ore, Nordic Mines Oy makes use of deep drilling, geological hammer and soil sampling, channel sampling, exploratory trenches dug using hand-held tools, exploratory trenches dug using an excavator, RC drilling, bedrock mapping, sampling of glacial till and exploratory excavation. However, no deep drilling was carried out in 2014. Permits subject to appeal in the exploration area number currently two, and concern the areas of Laiva and Oltava.

Environment

Yrityksen ympäristökäytannöt:

Year 2015	Exists	Does not exist
Location in a nature reserve		X
Environmental management system*	X
An environmental impact assessment required (in accordance with the EIA Act)	X
Measurements of dust	X
Measurements of noise	X
Measurements of vibration	X
Environmental impact assessment completed	X
Deviations from the environmental permit (2014)**	X
Environmental collateral exists	X
Closure plan for the mine exists	X
Plan for the shutdown of the mine in unexpected situations	X

* A Natura protection programme area (8,194ha), a bog protection area (164ha), and the Ilmakkiaapa, Viiankiaapa and Kaaresvuoma areas protected from ditching ** Certified in accordance with ISO 14001 standard 

Keskeiset tunnusluvut:

• Total amount of extractive waste: 10,700,000t (tailings and waste rock)
• Utilisation of waste rock: The company produces crushed waste rock for its own purposes, using it on road maintenance (exact proportion of waste rock not reported)
• Fuel consumption: not in production
• Other energy consumption (electricity and heat): Electricity 6GWh (nuclear power 40.0%, fossil fuels and peat 42.9%, renewable fuels 17.1%).
• Water consumption: not in production
• Number of dams in the mining area: 5 (2 in Class 1, 2 in Class 2, and 1 in Class 3)
• Number of endangered species occurring in the operational area: 8
• Usage of chemicals dangerous to the environment: –

Personnel and safety

Yrityksen henkilöstökäytännöt:

Year 2015	Exists	Does not exist
Employee initiative programme	X
Goal and development dialogue programme covering the entire personnel		X
Personnel training plan		X
Equality plan	X
Personnel representation in company management		X
Occupational and safety management system*	X
All personnel working in the area are in possession of an occupational health card	X
Company rescue unit		X

* Uncertified 

Keskeiset tunnusluvut vuonna:

2015

• The mine was not in operation in 2015

Impact on the use of the neighbouring areas and the sources of livelihood

Vaikutukset paikallisiin elinkeinoihin: No mining and exploration is carried out in the reindeer management area. The municipality, inhabitants of neighbouring areas and land owners are the company’s key stakeholders, and they are taken into consideration in the company’s stakeholder collaboration.

Vaikutukset lähialueen virkistyskäyttöön:

According to the assessment of the company itself, its activities have not impacted the recreational use of the neighbouring areas.

Vaikutukset maisema-arvoon:

Landscape values have been taken into account in the operations of the company. Archaeological areas are taken into account in planning.

Interaction with stakeholders

Sidosryhmäyhteistyö:

• While production is underway, the company periodically arranges open door events, in which stakeholder representatives can participate. The latest of such events was arranged in spring 2013.

Tutkimus- ja yhteistyöhankkeet:

• The company has participated in mine stress tests
• The company has participated in the TEKES KTN project