STOCKHOLM, Sweden, July 11, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Boliden's (TSX:BLS) zinc mine Tara in Ireland is now back in full production since the mill breakdown has been repaired. The effect on the operating results will be, as earlier reported, over SEK 40 million. The company will now be able to completely fulfil its contracted deliveries for the remainder of the year and therefore lifts its earlier declared partial Force Majeure.
The direct effect of the motor breakdown at one of the grinding mills involved in the milling process was a decline of the production of the zinc and lead concentrate by around 40 per cent. However, the metal production at Boliden's own zinc smelters, Boliden Kokkola and Boliden Odda, were not, as earlier predicted, affected having compensated the short fall from own inventories at the smelters.
Boliden's Tara zinc mine has a production capacity of approximately 400,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate and approximately 50,000 tonnes of lead concentrate per year.
Boliden is one of the world's leading mining and smelting companies with operating facilities in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Ireland. Boliden mainly produces copper, zinc and lead, as well as gold and silver. Other important operations include mineral exploration and metal recycling. The company has around 4,500 employees and net sales of almost SEK 18 billion. Its shares are listed on Stockholmsborsen's O-list and 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=114677&fn=wkr0001.pdf