LKAB to shut Kiruna pellet plant for months, cutting 2026 shipments

Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag (LKAB), a state-owned Swedish mining company and Europe's largest iron ore producer, has announced plans to temporarily shut down the KK3 pellet plant - one of its three pellet plants at the Kiruna iron ore mine - from mid-April through November this year. The move is expected to result in lower pellet shipments for 2026, according to the company's press release late last week.

The months-long suspension of the pellet plant is attributed to an anticipated reduction in raw material supply from the Kiruna mine, the release stated. LKAB will temporarily scale back production at the mine, as changing local rock mechanical conditions have required adjustments to the mining sequence, the company explained. Specifically,