Page 22 - Port of Kokkola Handbook & Directory

MINING FOCuSEurope’s newlithium powerhouseKokkola has become Finland’s largest port serving the country’s mining industry, according to a recent study conducted by the Geological Survey of Finland.Although the port has been handling materials and equipment for mining and metallurgical industries for over 50 years, the study states that Kokkola is poised to become an increasingly important transport hub for mining concerns, highlighting its ability to remain open for business throughout the year – including winter months when many other port operations are closed by ice. It also highlighted the port’s ability to handle any type of cargo through its three harbours and close proximity by road to major mining areas in northern and eastern Finland.20PORT OF KOKKOLA HANDBOOK & DIRECTORYIn recent years the mining industryIt has been known since the early 1960s that the area around Kokkola might yield huge amounts of lithium deposits. Lithium is a lightweight, reactive and durable metal with a wide range of uses including in batteries for mobile devices, in theOver the years a series of test drillings has taken place and Finnish mining and exploration company Keliber will shortly begin open pit quarrying operations on a site close to the municipalities of Kokkola and neighbouring Kaustinen. No environmental hazards are foreseen.has been one of the few sectors making significant investments in Finland, according to the country’s Ministry of Employment and the Economy. Mining has long traditions in Finland and a revival of the country’s mining operations has created new technology companies and spurred the growth of small and medium-size commercial organisations.manufacture of cordless tools and in aircraft parts. But the most obvious application for lithium is in electric cars. In less than two decades the development of lithium battery technology has brought electric vehicles to the fore, with the increasing likelihood that they will eventually supplant petrol and diesel-fuelled vehicles entirely.