MineGuessr – Kevitsa, Finland: Multimetal Open-Pit for Nickel, Copper & PGEs

MineGuessr Advent Calendar 2025 – Door 19

Kevitsa is one of the mines featured in our 2025 MineGuessr mining advent calendar. Each December day, we reveal a new mining satellite timelapse and invite you to guess the mine from satellite imagery of mines across the Nordics and Europe.

On this page, we provide a concise, professional overview of Kevitsa – its location, geology, operational history and role in the raw materials value chain. The satellite timelapse helps illustrate how a modern multimetal open pit in Finnish Lapland has expanded over time, supporting raw materials education around nickel, copper and PGEs for the energy transition.

Aerial view of the Kevitsa open-pit Ni–Cu–PGE mine and process plant in Finnish Lapland

Overview & location

Kevitsa is a large Ni–Cu–PGE open-pit mine in Sodankylä municipality, in Lapland, northern Finland. The mine lies about 140 km north of the Arctic Circle and roughly 35 km northeast of Sodankylä town.

The Kevitsa deposit was discovered in 1987, with commercial production starting in 2012. In 2016, the mine was acquired by Boliden, which operates it today as one of its key multimetal assets. Kevitsa is regarded as Finland’s largest open-pit mine by production volume, and a significant employer in the region.

The mine produces nickel and copper concentrates that also contain cobalt, platinum, palladium and gold. Concentrates are transported to Boliden’s smelters at Harjavalta (Finland) and Rönnskär (Sweden) for further processing.

Where in the world is Kevitsa?

Country & region: Sodankylä, Lapland, northern Finland.
Setting: Located within the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt, in a composite ultramafic intrusion known as the Kevitsa intrusion.
Access & infrastructure: All-weather road access, grid power supply and established logistics chains for concentrate haulage to Finnish and Swedish smelters.
Role in the community: One of the largest industrial employers in the Sodankylä area, with a workforce drawn from local communities and the wider region.

Geology & deposit type

Kevitsa is a magmatic Ni–Cu–PGE sulphide deposit hosted within a composite ultramafic intrusion in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt of the Fennoscandian Shield.

Key geological features:

Mineralisation is dominated by disseminated sulphides – primarily pyrrhotite, pentlandite and chalcopyrite – in olivine pyroxenites and related ultramafic rocks.
The orebody has an irregular 3D geometry but broadly follows magmatic layering within the intrusion, with internal domains that are Ni–Cu-dominant and Cu–PGE-rich.
The deposit extends over several hundred metres in both strike and width and has been drilled to depths well beyond the current open-pit design.
Exploration and ongoing drilling continue to refine the Ni–Cu–PGE resource base, supporting updated mine plans and reserve estimates.

In the MineGuessr calendar, Kevitsa represents the multimetal magmatic sulphide end of our portfolio – offering a useful contrast to iron ore, industrial minerals, coal and porphyry copper systems on other days.

What the mining satellite timelapse shows

The mining satellite timelapse for Kevitsa (1984–2022) compresses several decades of change into a short video. Because large-scale mining only began in 2012, the early frames are strikingly quiet – almost entirely forest and wetlands – before the open pit appears and grows into the modern operation.

Pre-2010 – exploration in a forested Lapland landscape

After discovery in 1987, the 1990s and 2000s were dominated by exploration drilling, test pits and early site works.

On the timelapse, this period shows as subtle clearings and access tracks in otherwise continuous forest – the deposit is there, but still mostly hidden beneath the surface.

2010–2014 – pit initiation and first production

Construction ramped up around 2010–2011, with pre-stripping and infrastructure build-out leading to first concentrate production in 2012.
Initial throughput ramped up into the mid single-digit million tonnes of ore per year as the pit deepened and the concentrator stabilised.

In the timelapse:

A near-circular open pit suddenly appears near the centre of the frame.
New haul roads, waste dumps and a tailings management facility (TMF) become recognisable features around the pit and plant site.

2015–2019 – Boliden ownership and steady-state operation

Boliden acquired Kevitsa in 2016 and implemented optimisation across mine planning, process control and by-product recovery.
Ore throughput stabilised around the **~9–10 Mt/year** range, making Kevitsa one of the largest open-pit operations in Finland.

Viewed from space:

The pit expands and deepens with new pushbacks, ramps and haul roads.
Waste dumps and tailings facilities grow and are reshaped into more engineered forms as production increases.

2020s – trolley-assisted haulage and extended mine life

Boliden invested in electric trolley-assisted haulage at Kevitsa, installing roughly 1.7–1.8 km of trolley line and converting 13 large haul trucks to operate under overhead power on key uphill ramps.
A comprehensive re-estimation of Mineral Resources and Reserves in 2024 added around 25 Mt to reserves; after mining depletion, the net increase of 15 Mt (19%) extended the mine life to about 10 years at a planned production rate of ~10 Mt of ore per year.
In 2024, Kevitsa milled around 9.85 Mt of ore at open-pit scale, reinforcing its role as a major Ni–Cu–PGE supplier.

In the latest frames:

The pit footprint continues to grow, but the most visually distinctive additions are the linear trolley lines and engineered haul roads leading out of the pit.
The TMF and waste facilities show a mature, multi-stage pattern with internal roads and stacked lifts that reflect long-term planning.

Mining method & processing – how the ore moves

Kevitsa operates as a large-scale open-pit truck–shovel mine supplying sulphide ore to a conventional concentrator:

Open-pit mining: Drill-and-blast benches mined by large hydraulic excavators and haul trucks. Ore and waste are hauled to crushers, stockpiles or waste dumps depending on grade and geometallurgical classification.
Trolley-assisted haulage: On selected uphill ramps, overhead trolley lines allow converted trucks to run on electricity instead of diesel, significantly reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions on those segments.
Processing: Crushing, grinding and flotation produce separate nickel and copper concentrates, with cobalt, platinum, palladium and gold recovered as by-products.
Smelting: Concentrates are shipped to Boliden’s smelters at Harjavalta and Rönnskär, where they are transformed into refined metals for European markets.

Role in the raw materials value chain & energy transition

Kevitsa sits at a critical node in Europe’s raw materials value chain for the energy transition:

Nickel: Used in stainless steel and, in higher-nickel chemistries, in rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and stationary storage.
Copper: Essential for power grids, wind and solar installations, e-mobility and charging infrastructure.
PGEs and gold: Platinum and palladium support catalysts and hydrogen-related technologies, while gold and PGEs play roles in electronics and financial reserves.
Cobalt: An important by-product metal for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries.

Kevitsa is also a practical case study in mine electrification and decarbonisation. The trolley-assisted haulage system is expected to reduce CO₂ emissions from mine transport by around nine percent over the life of the mine, demonstrating how targeted investments in haulage can materially impact the carbon footprint of open-pit operations.

What to look for in the MineGuessr timelapse

As you watch the Kevitsa satellite timelapse, see if you can spot:

The transition from undisturbed forest to an active open pit between about 2010 and 2015.
The deepening and gradual widening of the pit as new pushbacks are mined.
The growth and reorganisation of waste dumps and tailings facilities as annual throughput climbs.
The appearance of straight, powered haul roads around the pit – a visual hint of the trolley-assisted haulage system.
The relatively compact but intensive footprint compared with the very large iron ore and coal operations elsewhere in the MineGuessr calendar.

MineGuessr perspective – why this mine was included

We selected Kevitsa for the MineGuessr mining advent calendar because it:

Is one of Europe’s most important multimetal Ni–Cu–PGE open-pit mines in an Arctic environment, with a distinctive circular footprint in satellite imagery.
Shows a clear life-of-mine evolution in just over a decade – from forest to a mature open pit with trolley-assisted haulage and large-scale tailings facilities.
Embodies the link between critical raw materials and decarbonisation, supplying nickel, copper and PGEs while piloting lower-emission haulage solutions.

In our GeoGuessr-style mine guessing game, Kevitsa helps spark conversations about magmatic sulphide deposits, multimetal flow sheets and the role of Arctic mines in the energy transition.

Throughout December, keep opening a new door every day and explore all 24 mines featured this year on the main MineGuessr mining advent calendar page.

Day 1 - Aitik (Sweden, copper-gold open pit)
A large, low-grade copper operation south of Gällivare
👉 Open Door 1 - Aitik
Day 2 - Björkdal (Sweden, gold)
Gold mine near Skellefteå, combining open-pit and underground mining.
👉 Open Door 2 - Björkdal
Day 3 - Kemi (Finland, chrome)
Chrome mine in northern Finland, Europe’s only chromite operation.
👉 Open Door 3 - Kemi
Day 4 - Ørtfjell (Norway, iron ore)
Iron ore mine in Norway’s Dunderland Valley, evolving from large open pits to underground mining.
👉 Open Door 4 - Ørtfjell
Day 5 - Trimouns (France, talc)
World’s largest working talc quarry high in the French Pyrenees above Luzenac.
👉 Open Door 5 - Trimouns
Day 6 - Skouries (Greece, copper-gold porphyry)
High-grade copper–gold porphyry project in the forests of Halkidiki, still under construction.
👉 Open Door 6 - Skouries
Day 7 - Las Cruces (Spain, copper)
High-grade hydromet copper mine in the Iberian Pyrite Belt north-west of Seville.
👉 Open Door 7 - Las Cruces
Day 8 - Assarel–Medet (Bulgaria, copper)
Twin porphyry copper open pits in the Panagyurishte district, from Europe’s former largest open-pit copper mine at Medet to today’s modern Assarel operation.
👉 Open Door 8 - Assarel–Medet
Day 9 - Glomel (France, andalusite)
World-class andalusite open-pit quarry in Brittany’s Montagnes Noires, supplying refractory minerals for Europe’s steel, foundry, cement and glass industries.
👉 Open Door 9 - Glomel
Day 10 - Parnassos–Ghiona (Greece, bauxite)
Karst-type bauxite mines in the Parnassos–Ghiona mountains, a historic alumina feedstock district supplying Greece’s aluminium industry.
👉 Open Door 10 - Parnassos–Ghiona
Day 11 - Kittilä (Finland, gold)
Europe’s largest primary gold mine at the Suurikuusikko orogenic gold deposit north of the Arctic Circle.
👉 Open Door 11 - Kittilä
Day 12 - Oltenia Energy Complex (Romania, lignite)
Cluster of large open-pit lignite mines and mine-mouth power plants in Gorj County, now at the centre of Romania’s coal phase-out and just transition plans.
👉 Open Door 12 - Oltenia Energy Complex
Day 13 - Cornwall china clay (UK)
Historic Imerys china clay pits near St Austell, where bright white kaolin benches and tips reshape “Clay Country” over decades of mining and restoration.
👉 Open Door 13 - Cornwall china clay
Day 14 - Aggeria–Agia Irini (Greece, bentonite)
Overlapping bentonite open pits on the volcanic island of Milos, anchoring one of Europe’s key industrial minerals districts.
👉 Open Door 14 - Aggeria–Agia Irini
Day 15 - Skouriotissa (Cyprus, copper & hydromet)
Ancient copper mining district in the Troodos ophiolite, now a hydrometallurgical hub processing copper, gold and battery-metal feed.
👉 Open Door 15 - Skouriotissa
Day 16 - Tunstead (UK, limestone & cement)
The UK’s largest limestone quarry near Buxton, feeding an integrated lime and cement works with long-term restoration and biodiversity plans.
👉 Open Door 16 - Tunstead
Day 17 - Narva (Estonia, oil shale)
Large open-pit oil shale mine in Ida-Viru County, supplying the Narva power plants and reshaping the landscape with strip mining and reclamation.
👉 Open Door 17 - Narva
Day 18 - Sydvaranger (Norway, iron ore)
Arctic banded iron formation at Bjørnevatn near Kirkenes, evolving toward DR-grade magnetite for Europe’s green steel transition.
👉 Open Door 18 - Sydvaranger
Day 20 - Styrian Erzberg (Austria, iron ore)
Terraced “pyramid” open-pit iron ore mine at Eisenerz, turning 12 Mt of rock into ~3 Mt of ore each year for Austria’s steel industry.
👉 Open Door 20 - Styrian Erzberg
Day 21 - Minas de Alquife (Spain, iron ore)
Europe’s largest open-pit iron ore mine in Granada, restarting in 2020 after two decades of closure to supply high-grade ore to European steelmakers.
👉 Open Door 21 - Minas de Alquife
Day 22 - Siilinjärvi (Finland, phosphate)
EU’s only operating phosphate mine in central Finland, mining an Archean carbonatite for fertiliser-grade apatite and creating distinctive pale tailings and phosphogypsum stacks.
👉 Open Door 22 - Siilinjärvi
Day 23 - Tellnes (Norway, ilmenite/titanium)
World-class ilmenite open pit in the Rogaland Anorthosite Province, supplying TiO₂ pigment feedstock from one of Europe’s largest titanium deposits.
👉 Open Door 23 - Tellnes
Day 24 - Elatsite (Bulgaria, copper–gold porphyry)
High-altitude porphyry copper–gold open pit in Bulgaria’s Srednogorie zone, with ore conveyed under the Balkan Mountains to a separate flotation–tailings complex.
👉 Open Door 24 - Elatsite

About Gosselin Mining

At Gosselin Mining, we regularly work with multimetal open pits and complex value chains like Kevitsa: Ni–Cu–PGE deposits in cold climates, long-life mine plans, and projects where production strategy, ESG performance and energy transition positioning all need to fit together. If you’d like to:

Stress-test a life-of-mine plan for a nickel, copper or PGE project
Evaluate options for haulage decarbonisation – including trolley assist and electrified fleets
Benchmark your processing performance and ESG profile against Nordic and European peers

…you’re very welcome to book a meeting with us.