Metso, now operating within the merged Metso Outotec legacy of mineral processing innovation, is a key strategic partner for Somincor’s Neves-Corvo mine, supplying the core technologies that enabled the dramatic scale-up of zinc processing capacity. As the primary equipment provider for the Zinc Expansion Project (ZEP), Metso’s systems underpin both the mine’s operational throughput and its environmental performance, making them indispensable to the operation’s modernization and competitive positioning in Europe.
 

Role & Contribution at Neves-Corvo

During the ZEP, Metso delivered a suite of integrated mineral processing solutions, including:

• High-capacity crushers to optimize feed preparation while improving wear life and reliability.

• Energy-efficient grinding mills designed to reduce power consumption while maintaining fine liberation of zinc and copper minerals.

• Advanced flotation cells engineered to maximize recovery rates, enabling higher concentrate grades with lower reagent use.

• Filtration systems to dewater tailings and concentrates effectively, supporting downstream logistics and minimizing water usage in processing.

These systems collectively allowed Somincor to double zinc processing capacity (from approximately 1.1 to 2.5 million tonnes per year) while improving energy intensity and recovery metrics. The deployment of Metso’s technology was a cornerstone in making Neves-Corvo one of Europe’s leading zinc producers, delivering both volume and quality in concentrate output.

Technical and Sustainability Differentiators

Metso’s process equipment emphasizes energy efficiency and lifecycle value—critical for a high-throughput operation in a region where operational costs and ESG performance drive investment decisions. Features include:

• Smart mill control systems that adapt to ore variability in real time, optimizing grind size versus energy use.

• Low-slurry recirculation designs that minimize water demand.

• Robust mechanical designs reducing unplanned downtime and maintenance interventions.

• Digital monitoring and predictive maintenance to foresee wear and adjust operating parameters, enhancing asset longevity.

These capabilities align tightly with Somincor’s sustainability ambitions: reduced electricity demand per tonne processed, optimized water usage, and consistent, high-quality output that minimizes waste.

Value Delivered

Metso’s involvement enabled Somincor to turn potential resource into reliable production growth. The ZEP’s success—evidenced by the surge in zinc concentrate output—was built on Metso’s hardware and process integration excellence. The increased capacity supports the mine’s economic resilience, while the energy and water efficiencies improve margins and fortify the operation’s environmental credentials.

Strategic Fit for Executives & Investors

For infrastructure investors and mining executives, Metso represents the kind of industrial partner that scales both performance and sustainability. Their solutions at Neves-Corvo demonstrate how capital investment in best-in-class processing technology pays back through higher throughput, lower operating costs, and stronger ESG alignment. Metso’s track record of collaboration, technical support, and system integration makes it a linchpin in the “Partners in Progress” ecosystem at Somincor.



Estrada de Alfragide, 67 - Edifício F, Piso 0 - Alfrapark

2610-008

Amadora

+351 21 438 8550

minerals.info.pt@metso.com

Drillcon AB: Precision Underground Drilling Partner at Somincor (Neves-Corvo

Drillcon AB is a Swedish drilling specialist renowned for delivering complex underground exploration and production drilling services in challenging geological environments. At Somincor’s Neves-Corvo mine—now operating under Lundin Mining and evolving into Boliden Somincor—Drillcon has played a critical role in defining and expanding deep copper and zinc resources, helping extend the life and strategic value of one of Europe’s richest polymetallic operations.

Role at Somincor (Neves-Corvo)

Drillcon’s engagement at Somincor centers on high-precision underground core drilling and targeted exploration campaigns in deep orebodies such as the Lombador and Semblana zones. Their work has contributed to multiple key outcomes:

• Resource Definition at Depth: Drillcon’s drilling programs have helped identify and delineate high-grade copper intersections at depths exceeding 1,200 meters, essential for long-term mine planning and reserve conversion.

• Exploration in Complex Geology: Operating in a flat, deep, and structurally intricate pyritic lens system, Drillcon brought expertise in directional and core drilling to reach and sample remote mineralized zones that traditional approaches might miss.

• Accelerating Expansion: By delivering reliable geological data quickly and safely, Drillcon enabled Somincor to prioritize development areas and de-risk near-mine exploration, supporting the broader expansion and integration initiatives underway.

Technical Capabilities & Differentiators

Drillcon’s value proposition at Somincor includes:

• Advanced Core Drilling Technology: Use of industry-leading rigs and tooling to retrieve intact core samples from extreme depths with minimal deviation, providing high-fidelity geological information.

• Directional and Precision Targeting: Expertise in guiding drill trajectories through complex structures, crucial for intersecting narrow, high-grade lenses of copper and zinc.

• Integrated Logging & Data Quality Control: Real-time core handling, logging, and QA/QC processes ensuring data integrity feeds directly into resource modeling.

• Commitment to Safety and Low Footprint Operations: Drillcon operates with rigorous safety protocols compatible with Somincor’s high ESG standards, minimizing environmental disturbance during underground programs.
   

Impact & Value Delivered

Drillcon’s drilling campaigns have directly contributed to extending Neves-Corvo’s mine life by enabling the discovery and conversion of deep mineral resources. The precision and speed of their work support strategic decision-making, allowing the mine to focus capital on the most promising zones and integrate new findings into the expansion roadmap. Their drilling data underpins reserve estimates, supports feasibility studies, and informs infrastructure placement in deep underground development.
 

Why Drillcon Matters to Media and Executive Audiences

For infrastructure investors, mining executives, and resource strategists, Drillcon exemplifies the type of specialist partner that turns geological potential into validated assets. Their collaboration with Somincor highlights how technical drilling excellence—combined with operational reliability—serves as a multiplier in asset valuation, risk reduction, and sustainable resource development.

Drillcon AB, Somincor drilling partner, Neves-Corvo exploration drilling, deep copper drilling Portugal, underground core drilling Europe, Boliden Somincor resource expansion, high-grade copper zinc exploration, precision mineral exploration, sustainable mining drilling services.

Centro de Negócios de Aljustrel,

Rua de Olivença, Nº57, 1º 2.6,

7600-077 Aljustrel

Portugal

www.drillcon.pt

COBA Group is a European engineering and consulting firm with deep expertise in mining infrastructure, geotechnical engineering, and tailings management. At Somincor (Neves-Corvo), COBA has been a strategic technical partner, helping transform what could have been an environmental liability—pyritic tailings—into a managed, stable, and closure-ready system that supports the mine’s long life and social license.

Core Contribution:
COBA Group’s engagement centers on tailings storage facility (TSF) engineering and geotechnical integrity. Working alongside Somincor and other key technical partners, COBA has provided:

• Design and optimization of paste tailings cells, ensuring the encapsulation strategy for pyritic tailings effectively prevents oxygen ingress and acid generation.

• Geotechnical consulting and stability modeling for the phased construction of tailings cells, incorporating local geology, seismic considerations, and long-term settlement behaviors.

• Instrumented monitoring systems integration (piezometers, movement sensors, seepage detection) to enable real-time surveillance of TSF performance, supporting proactive risk management.

• Closure and rehabilitation planning that aligns with Somincor’s vision for eventual landscape reintegration—ensuring the capped and revegetated tailings areas can blend into the countryside while maintaining environmental containment.

• Risk assessment and emergency preparedness frameworks, harmonized with international standards such as the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), enhancing transparency and regulator/community confidence.

Value Delivered:
COBA’s partnership has materially strengthened Somincor’s environmental resilience. By applying advanced geotechnical modeling and engineered controls, COBA helped reduce long-term environmental and operational risk, enabling:

• Improved predictability and safety of the tailings system, reducing the need for costly corrective interventions.

• Alignment with ESG expectations, reinforcing Somincor’s social license through credible, science-based stewardship of legacy waste.

• Lifecycle cost efficiency, as robust initial design and monitoring lower the likelihood of disruptive remediations and support phased cell development.

Strategic Fit:
COBA’s role exemplifies how high-value engineering partnerships can turn technical challenges into competitive advantages. At Neves-Corvo, COBA has not merely advised; it has co-enabled a tailings strategy that supports ongoing operations, future closure ambitions, and community trust—making it a cornerstone supplier in the mine’s sustainability infrastructure.