HELSINKI, Finland, April 4, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Metso Minerals, Metso Corporation's rock and mineral processing business area, is to supply diamond recovery processing equipment worth EUR 57 million for a new concentrator to be built in Siberia for the AK Alrosa Nurba diamond deposit in Yakutia, Russia. The order is the largest individual order in mining equipment that Metso has received. Most of the equipment will be delivered to the site in summer 2002 and start-up of the concentrator is scheduled for the fall of 2003.
The order includes the whole concentrator as well as various comminution, screening and separation equipment, such as three grinding mills. Metso Automation will supply all project automation solutions for the concentrator. The new concentrator order is a continuation to the pilot plant that Svedala Industri AB - acquired by Metso in September 2001 - supplied to Nurba two years ago. In the pilot plant, a new type of diamond sorting system was specially adapted.
The Nyurbinskaya diamond deposit is situated some 600 km northwest of Yakutsk, the main city in Yakutia. Metso is responsible for the project planning of the concentrator, including electrical and automation planning, as well as all equipment supplies.
AK Alrosa is one of the world's largest diamond producers. The company's main owners are the government of Russia and the local government of Yakutia.
Metso Corporation (NYSE:MX) is a global supplier of process industry machinery and systems, as well as know-how and aftermarket services. The Corporation's core businesses are fiber and paper technology (Metso Paper), rock and mineral processing (Metso Minerals) and automation and control technology (Metso Automation). In 2001, the net sales of Metso Corporation were EUR 4.3 billion and the personnel totaled approximately 30,000. Metso Corporation is listed on the Helsinki and New York Stock Exchanges.