Notable case, Sotkamo, Kainuu, Finland
Talvivaara mine (Sotkamo)
Talvivaara / Terrafame
A large nickel and zinc mine in eastern Finland that extracts the metals with bacteria, by bioheap leaching. In 2012 and 2013 its gypsum pond failed, sending hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of water carrying nickel, uranium and other metals towards nearby lakes.
At a glance
- Status
- Under assessment
- Activity
- since 2008
- Media
- surface water, sediment
- Kind of site
- mining, accident
Contaminants
Status
Under assessment
The mining company went bankrupt on 6 November 2014; in 2015 the business passed to the state-owned Terrafame, which carries it on. We did not open a source on the present state of the affected lakes.
Story
The mine works the Kuusilampi and Kolmisoppi deposits: a billion tonnes of low-grade ore (0.22% nickel, 0.5% zinc). The company was founded in 2004 and metal production began late in 2008. Crushed ore is heaped in the open and irrigated: bacteria oxidise the sulphides and bring the metals into solution.
In November 2012 about 250,000 m³ of water contaminated with nickel, uranium and other metals escaped from the gypsum pond; the environment minister spoke of a serious environmental crime. On 8 April 2013 the pond failed again, losing up to 7,000 m³ an hour. The water reached lakes Kivijärvi, Jormasjärvi and Nuasjärvi; on 21 May 2013 the Lumijoki river turned red and orange.
In September 2014 four directors were charged with an aggravated environmental offence.
Timeline
- 2008Metal production by bioleaching begins.
- 2012November: about 250,000 m³ leaks from the gypsum pond.
- 20138 April: second leak.
- 20146 November: the mining company goes bankrupt.
- 2015State-owned Terrafame takes over the mine.
From the literature
Species that acted on one of this site's contaminants in at least one study. The list is automatic and takes no account of this site's soil, concentrations or climate.
Plants
- Berkheya coddiiBerkheya coddiiEvidence: field
- Helianthus annuusSunflowerUraniumEvidence: field
- Odontarrhena bertoloniiBertoloni's alyssumEvidence: field
- Odontarrhena chalcidicaYellowtuftEvidence: field
- Pycnandra acuminataBlue sap treeEvidence: field
Fungi
- Funneliformis mosseaeUraniumEvidence: greenhouse
- Pisolithus albusEvidence: greenhouse
- Pleurotus eryngiiKing oyster mushroomEvidence: laboratory
- Rhizophagus irregularisUraniumEvidence: laboratory
- Saccharomyces cerevisiaeBaker's yeast, brewer's yeastUraniumEvidence: laboratory
Sources
- Ahtium (formerly Talvivaara Mining Company), Wikipedia, 2026
Draft compiled from public sources, not yet reviewed.