STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Jan. 17, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- In November 2004 Boliden signed a Letter of Intent with an industrial actor concerning the sale of Boliden's lead smelter Bergsoe in the south of Sweden. As the parties have not been able to reach an agreement concerning the terms, Boliden has decided to stop the sale process.
- Bergoe has historically been producing good results as well as good cash flows. At the moment, the business is also benefiting of a continued strong lead market. Our view is that this should also be reflected in the value, something which the negotiations have not resulted in, said Jan Johansson, President and CEO of Boliden.
The lead smelter will be integrated into Boliden's production area Copper.
For further information, please contact: Jan Johansson, President and CEO telephone +46 8 610 1602, + 46 70 555 02 02 Ulf Soderstrom, Senior VP Group Communications telephone +46 8 610 15 57, +46 70 618 95 95
Boliden is one of the leading mining and smelting companies in the world with operations in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Ireland. Boliden's main products are copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver. Exploration and Recycling of Base Metals are also important within the company. The number of employees is approximately 4 500 and the turnover amounts to approximately EUR 2 billion annually. The Boliden share is quoted on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in Sweden as well as on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada.
This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://wpy.waymaker.net/client/waymaker1/WOLReleaseFile.aspx?id=64170&fn=wkr0001.pdf