Nordkalk Plans to Restart Quarrying in Kolari, Finland

Nordkalk plans to reopen the Ruonaoja quarry in Kolari in northern Finland.

Ruonaoja 9/2009

The cement factory in the area was closed down in 1989 but Nordkalk quarried limestone in Ruonaoja until 1996. Nordkalk has decided to reopen the quarry because new mining projects in northern Finland will create new markets for limestone-based products.

Nordkalk´s application for an environmental permit was filed in December 2009, and the company aims to start test quarrying during summer 2010. The operations and quarried volumes will grow little by little. Nordkalk has applied for a permit to quarry 400 000 tons of limestone yearly.

The quarrying will be outsourced, and it will employ directly 5-10 persons. The limestone will be crushed at the site in Kolari before it is transported to the customers.

The quarry is located in Kolari municipality, about 2 kilometers northwards from the closed quarry in Äkäsjokisuu, which is also owned by Nordkalk. The quarry in Ruonajoki was chosen to be opened because its limestone quality meets the requirements of Nordkalk´s customers better than that of the limestone in Äkäsjokisuu.

Railroad to Be Repaired

Repairing the railroad from Kolari to Äkäsjokisuu is essential for starting the quarrying. Nordkalk has communicated with the mining company Northland Resources, the plans of which also require the railroad to be mended. The company is developing the Kaunisvaara project in Pajala on the Swedish side of the Tornio River. Nordkalk aims to participate in the planning of the repair work together with Northland Resources, Finnish Transport Agency and Swedish Rail Administration.