Swedish mining company Boliden announced on Thursday that the expansion of its Odda zinc smelter in Norway will take longer than initially expected due to delays in construction work. The cost of the project is now expected to rise by an additional 100 million euros ($110.16 million). Originally, Boliden had planned to expand the plant’s annual production capacity from 200,000 tonnes to 350,000 tonnes.
The company confirmed that the ramp-up towards the new production level will begin at the end of the first quarter of 2025, a delay of around three months compared to earlier projections. Full output is expected to be reached later in 2025. Despite the delay, Boliden has maintained its capital expenditure forecast for 2024 at 15.5 billion Swedish crowns($1.49 billion) and set its estimated capex for 2025 at 13.5 billion crowns.
