Kemi Mine is owned by Outokumpu Chrome Oy, a subsidiary of the Outokumpu Group. It is located north of the city of Kemi in Elijärvi, Keminmaa. Kemi Mine is the only chromium mine within the European Union.
The mine is part of Outokumpu’s integrated ferrochrome and stainless steel production chain in the Kemi-Tornio region. The role of Kemi Mine in the long production chain, that produces stainless steel from chromite ore, is to manufacture chromite ore concentrates used as a raw material for ferrochrome production at the ferrochrome plant in Tornio. The chromium contained in the ferrochrome produced by the plant makes the steel stainless.
Kemi Mine was opened in 1968, just under ten years after the ore was discovered. Until 2005, chrome was mined by open pit mining to a depth of around 200 meters, after which all ore has been extracted from an underground mine. The environmental impacts of operating Kemi Mine are low due to the low solubility of oxide chromite ore, the gravity-based chemical-free concentration method, and the closed process water cycle, that both mining and concentration processes.
Outokumpu Group’s environmental target is to minimize the environmental impact of our operations and strive towards carbon neutrality. Kemi Mine’s target is to be the world’s first carbon-neutral mine by 2025. The three most important factors for the carbon neutrality of Kemi Mine are the use of low-carbon electricity, the use of biofuels in traffic and machinery, and the replacement of natural gas and propane gas for heating with electricity and biogas. The electrification rate of the mining machines will be increased, which will also reduce fuel consumption.
| AAA | |||||||||||||
| AA | |||||||||||||
| A | |||||||||||||
| B | |||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||
| Community Outreach | Biodiversity Management | Tailings management | Water management | Climate change management | Mine closure | Occupational health and safety |
| Crisis management preparedness | Internal review | Training and exercises | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crisis Management Planning – Corporate | |||
| Crisis Management Planning – Site |
Outokumpu Chrome Oy has one ore prospecting permit area in Keminmaa, at Nuottijänkä, permit code ML2021:0010. Diamond core drilling was carried out in the area in 2022. The ore prospecting focused on chromium (Cr) in the east and west extensions of the Kemi mine chromite ore. In addition, possible platinum group (PGE) metals were prospected in the drill holes.
| Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Location in a nature reserve* | ||
| Environmental Management System ** | ||
| Environmental impact assessment required (in accordance with the EIA Act) * | ||
| Measurements for dust | ||
| Measurements for noise | ||
| Measurements for vibration | ||
| Environmental risk assessment carried out | ||
| Deviations from environmental permits *** | ||
| Closure plan for the mine | ||
| Plan for the controlled shutdown of the mine in unexpected situations |
| Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Staff initiative system | ||
| Performance appraisals concerning the entire personnel | ||
| Staff training plan | ||
| Equality plan | ||
| Employee representation in company administration | ||
| Occupational health and safety management system* | ||
| Occupational safety card for everyone working in the area | ||
| Own rescue unit |
Kemi Mine is located in the municipality of Keminmaa, in the Meri-Lappi region. Kemi Mine, together with the Tornio plants, is a significant employer in the Lapland region, both directly and indirectly. Other activities in the vicinity of Kemi Mine include agriculture and forestry, as well as soil and minerals operations. Kemi Mine is not located in a reindeer herding area.
According to the company’s assessment, its operations have not had any significant impact on the recreational use of the nearby area. Close to the mine, people spend time outdoors, picking berries and hunting.
The most dominant elements related to the mine’s operations are the structures, such as mine towers and gangue piles. The mine is located in the middle of wetlands and forests, which means that its impacts on the landscape surrounding the mine area are only occasional. Mining operations cause landscape impacts mainly in the remote landscape (more than 5 km from the mine area). The greatest impacts on the remote landscape occur on the roof of the Kemi town hall in the southwest and on the Ajos shore. There are also minor impacts on the northwest shore of Keminmaa’s old church/museum, where the gangue areas can be seen as a thin silhouette above the forest line.
Landscape values have been considered in the mine’s operations and closure plan. The target of Kemi Mine is to take biodiversity into account in the landscape and closure plans, considering the typical species in the region. In all operations of the mine, the aim is to keep the environmental impacts in the mine area and its immediate vicinity as low as possible, for example, in terms of dusting and water system impacts. The target is also to maintain and promote the mining area’s positive impacts on birds, among other things.
The most important stakeholders are our employees, contractors, authorities, the municipality, local media, local residents and landowners, educational institutions, service providers and material suppliers, as well as organizations and associations.
The company holds proactive discussions with stakeholders about plans, their possible concerns, ways to mitigate the impacts of the operations and other matters to be considered in the operating environment. The interaction with stakeholders is effective and the attitude towards mining operations is open, collaborative, and neutral. The company has a feedback channel for stakeholders (palaute.keminkaivos@outokumpu.com ), which serves both as a contact channel and a channel for collecting feedback.
