Agnico Eagle Finland Oy and Tapojärvi sign partnership agreement

Tapojärvi and the Kittilä mine, operated by Agnico Eagle Finland Oy, have signed a five-year partnership agreement on mining support work. 

In the past, Agnico Eagle Finland Oy carried out bolting and netting work itself, but as production volumes grow, the company now wishes to supplement these by purchasing specialist mining services expertise externally, too.

“As conditions become more challenging in the underground mine, we have increased support work volumes and now we require more resources in this additional work. Finding out that this kind of expertise was available from a local company in the Lapland region was a fantastic surprise,” says the Kittilä mine’s General Manager Tommi Kankkunen.

The partnership agreement between Tapojärvi’s mining services and Kittilä gold mine was launched at the beginning of October, with the work due to reach its full extent from early 2022.

“Producing mining services safely is a key element of operations for both companies. Well-managed mining support work will ensure that work is carried out safely at the Kittilä mine well into the future,” says Chief Operating Officer Martti Kaikkonen of Tapojärvi Oy.

The service agreement between Tapojärvi and Agnico Eagle Finland Oy is a continuation of the cooperation that began between the companies when Kittilä’s mining operations were first launched in 2008.

“Being able to work together to create long-term jobs in Northern Finland and look after the sustainable future of Lapland’s mining operations is great,” says Kaikkonen.

Agnico Eagle Finland Oy is a subsidiary of the Canadian gold producer Agnico Eagle Mines Limited. It owns the Kittilä mine and is actively engaged in prospecting for ore in Finland and other Nordic countries. The Kittilä mine is the largest gold mine in Europe and the driving force of mining operations in Lapland. The mine employs around 500 people directly, and a further 600 are employed by contractors.

Tapojärvi is a Finnish mining and factory services specialist and a developer of circular economy solutions. Tapojärvi’s operations span three countries and 13 sites. The company employs almost 700 employees.