Boliden engages Hatch for expansion of its nickel operations in Harjavalta

Toronto, Canada—Boliden has engaged Hatch to help them undertake an expansion of their nickel operations at the Harjavalta smelter in Finland. The expansion consists of a new concentrate dryer, increased capacity in the electric furnace and granulation, as well as automated tapping of molten metal. Hatch is providing engineering design and equipment supply for the electric furnace upgrade to improve safety and reliability of the furnace, double the campaign life, and accommodate the increase in production.

Harjavalta, located in southwest Finland, is the largest nickel smelter in the European Union. With this furnace upgrade, Boliden will be in a strong position to meet the growing demand for nickel from, among others, the battery manufacturing sector for the automotive industry. The expansion to the nickel line will not only increase the feed capacity from 310 kilotonnes to 370 kilotonnes of raw material per year but will also decrease the carbon dioxide intensity of nickel produced by 15% to 20% per tonne.

Hatch will be leading the detailed design, supplying furnace technology, and providing construction planning, technical site assistance, and a furnace integrity management program as well as maintenance support for the first four years of operation. The team is meeting the challenges presented from the global pandemic through collaboration across its global delivery centers to ensure the timely execution of this critical project for Hatch and Boliden.

“We are thrilled to be entering this new partnership with Boliden,” said Chris Walker, global director, Pyro Technologies and Life Cycle Services at Hatch. “This project allows us to build full life cycle partnerships with our global clients.”

The project is currently in the detailed engineering phase with construction and start-up of the furnace scheduled for Q3/Q4 of 2021.

Read more about Boliden’s expansion plans, here.

For more information, please contact:

Lindsay Janca
Global Director, Public Relations
Tel: +1 905 403 4199
Email: media@hatch.com

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