Bjorkdal Gold Mine

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The Björkdal mine is the largest operating gold mine in the Skellefte district, Northern Sweden.

It is located 30 km along paved highway northwest of the city of Skelleftea and 750 km north of Stockholm, Sweden. Skelleftea is a modern city with daily flights to Stockholm. The area has a long history of mining and strong economic ties to the industry. Developed infrastructure includes railway and paved highways connecting the community to all of Sweden. Low cost hydropower and a skilled labour force further support the industry. The climate in this area of northern Sweden is moderated by the Gulf Stream and is very similar to Timmins, Ontario.

The Bjorkdal mine was discovered by Terra Mining AB by regional till sampling. The first anomalous gold values in till samples were found in 1983 and bedrock values were discovered in 1985. Definition drilling was started in early 1986; the feasibility study was finished in May 1987 and a production decision was made in July 1987. The first shipment of gold concentrate was made in September 1988.

Late in 1996, Williams Resources Inc of Toronto purchased Terra Mining and took over ownership of the mine. However, gold prices plummeted shortly thereafter and Williams placed the mine into receivership in June 1999. The property was dormant until 2001 when private concerns purchased the assets from the banks and started processing low grade stockpiles. Minmet acquired 50% of the mine in March of 2003 and the remaining 50% in October, 2003. Minmet extracted ore from the open pit during 2 brief periods in 2003 and 2004 and has principally processed low grade stockpile material.