Europe's Largest Zinc Mine Reopens after 2023 Closure

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Europe's largest zinc mine in Ireland has reopened after a closure of more than a year.

Slightly more than 400 workers have returned to work following a closure of almost 16 months. Tara Mines in County Meath, which is owned by Swedish company Boliden (Stockholm, Sweden), was subject to a "temporary" halt of operations in June 2023 that resulted in the laying off of 650 workers. At the time, Boliden stopped all exploration and production at the mine, citing low global zinc prices and the high cost of running the mine. The mine, which produced 198,000 tonnes of zinc concentrates in 2022, is the largest in Europe.

The mine will now resume full operations with its reduced workforce. A deal had been worked out with unions in April to keep the mine open, which included a proposal for 160 voluntary redundancies. The Tara Mines Group of Unions has welcomed the facility's return to full operation this week following the extended lay-off for the majority of its employees. "There is a sense of relief among workers and the communities throughout the northeast with the full reopening of the mine and the first blast to develop a mineral vein, taking place this week," said John Regan, sector organizer with workers union, SIPTU. "The last of the miners have just completed a five-day return-to-work induction training and familiarization process. This was essential due to nearly 200 workers exiting employment at the mine by taking up an agreed voluntary redundancy package, which has necessitated those remaining to develop new skills in order to ensure the facility's safe operation."

Industrial Info is tracking a key project at Tara to expand the operation with the construction of a new, 2-kilometer drift tunnel to mine from a new mineralization with an inferred mineral resource of 10 million metric tonnes. The so-called Tara Deep project could yield new seams that would potentially extend the life of the mine by decades.

The European zinc sector was particularly hard hit when zinc prices collapsed in 2023 due to higher running costs, and it is facing a tough road ahead according to the International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG). European output is forecast to decrease by 11.4% this year, primarily as a result of reductions in Ireland and Portugal, where the Tara and Aljustrel mines were placed on care and maintenance in the second half of 2023. Things will improve in 2025, with European output "expected to rise significantly," benefiting from higher production in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Portugal and the reopening of Tara Mines. Globally, however, the zinc market is now facing a sizable supply deficit in 2024 of 164,000 metric tonnes. This is in stark contrast to the situation in April when ILZSG had forecast a 2024 surplus of 56,000 metric tons. This will be the third straight year of declining output since 2021, the last year of the zinc mining boom.

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