NAU - Mining rush tripling the population in Pajaltranslated with google -
"Mining Rush makes demands on the VA-operation in Pajala
Published 2011-10-05 07:05
For the first time in more than half a century, the population increases in Pajala. In the years to expect the municipality with a doubling and in the longer term, a tripling of the population. All thanks to the new iron ore mine - the largest single industrial project in Sweden for a very long time.
Mine construction will take about two years and will most employ nearly a thousand people. When the break begins in the giant open pit at the end of next year will be mine permanent workplace for 450 people. Already, the mining company North Country over a thousand applicants for jobs.
For the municipality involves mining venture enormous challenges. New homes and roads must be built and require large investments in water and wastewater supply.
- The drain side is a little more critical than the water side, says Roger Tuomas, CTO and CEO of Pajala Värmeverk AB, as he shows us around the community, which is home to around 2000 people. The whole municipality has around 6300 inhabitants spread over 80 villages. The municipality has 26 water treatment plants, 15 wastewater treatment plants and 36 sewage pumping stations.
The central treatment plant is 40 years old and quite worn - and is approaching full capacity.
- Agency has around 2000 members and there are so many we can cope with today's chemical-mechanical treatment. With another hundred members, we reach the roof, says Roger Tuomas when we visit the site, which is beautifully situated on the northern riverbanks.
The fine mode - "the best Santa in Pajala" - is one of the reasons why the municipality is planning an entirely new treatment plant rather than upgrade the old.
- The plot is high and close to the river and would be ideal for housing, said Roger Tuomas. By selling the land where the treatment plant and sludge ponds located to the municipality to release money for a completely new and modern treatment plants while Pajala would get a new attractive residential area.
A new building is estimated at 41 million while the renovation of the existing plant is estimated to cost 27-29 million. The plot is worth around 16 million.
- If we exclude the costs of streets and roads in the new residential area, we may out-half and it means that there are so many differences between the two alternatives, says Roger Tuomas.
Of course, the 41 million kronor a lot of money for a poor community who had been downhill since the 1960s and had to save and WRITE IN A CRABBED HAND to get the budget balanced. Since 2004, the City has saved 78 million crowns in the business.
- To cope with all the necessary investments, we need to borrow money. Any government help, we can hardly count on, says Mayor Kurt Wennberg when we meet him later in the day.
Pajala Municipality has granted a loan of 120 million from Kommuninvest - with the promise of more money if necessary. Total counts Kurt Wennberg with the need for investment of 340 million over the next few years to be able to receive and provide service to all new Paja Labor. The housing shortage is the major bottleneck. Today there are virtually no vacant apartments. 340 people standing in the municipal housing queue.
Therefore, the municipality would like to build homes on the treatment plant site. A new residential area, Pine Hill, in the western part of the village has already begun to be built with 150-160 apartments and 25 plots.
- The 120 million from Kommuninvest will be used for a new treatment plant or renovate the old and the housing, said Kurt Wennberg.
The old treatment plant requires a lot of maintenance work. Moreover, the warming is expensive. The building's ventilation has no such heat exchange. Pajala Municipality has previously studied a common treatment plant with Kolari municipality, which lies less than three mil away across the river in Finland. These plans have been scrapped.
- The project fell on schedule, says Roger Tuomas. We have more urgency than they have on the Finnish side where the capacity is still insufficient. The project was very complicated with a treatment plant that would tie together several villages.
Most indicate that there will be a completely new treatment plant. A feasibility study is underway, which will be completed in October. After which the politicians had decided. The municipality design a new industrial park a mile from the river - and where would the new plant be built.
- Given that the existing pumping station where all waste water is collected at the river should not plant located too far away from the Torne River, said Robert Tuomas. The new industrial park is an ideal location.
The large mud ponds next to the plant need not be moved because the sludge treatment can be nested if there is a new treatment plant. With dewatered sludge from the new work is no need for sludge ponds.
The water supply is not as acute problems such as sewage treatment. Today there are six wells drilled with groundwater. Half of the wells provide excellent water. In the other three, the water is much worse with a lot of iron.
- Those we drive only when we must, says Roger Tuomas. To manage water supply in the long term will require new wells - with good water. It is a project that must get going on in the not too distant future.
The first thing that needs to be done is to improve the network. The bottlenecks must be eliminated. The grid for the raw water has been expanded in stages and is not upgraded.
- Only by doing away with bottlenecks in the network, we have the capacity by 25 percent, says Roger Tuomas. Today, the capacity is 500-600 cc per day. We raise by 25 percent, we can handle quite a while, next step is to drill new holes and then we can come up in the 1000-1100 cubic without problems. We have the capacity to double that.
Roger Tuomas says that the municipality has made a preliminary study on the water issue will be resolved. The solution is a "fyrstegsraket" - new wiring to the capacity, new boreholes, to improve pumping capacity and allow the water tower higher and higher.
- Some areas have bad pressure in the water because the water tower needs to be raised a few feet and get a better filling system.
About VA-expansion leads to higher water and wastewater rates are currently difficult to say. Certainly, massive investments, but there are more who pays when population increases.
- Maybe it will be some increase, but we have not counted on, said Roger Tuomas.
For the municipality at large does the population increase that tax revenues will increase dramatically. The budget for next year based on a population increase of 67 persons, giving municipal treasury approximately 4.7 million. An increase of one thousand individuals, around 70 million in increased tax revenues.
- Our vision is that 2020 will have 20,000 inhabitants to today's 6300, says Kurt Wennberg. Pajala and the Torne Valley is a brand new time to meet. It feels really great.
The whole municipality hive of activity. New companies are started, new residential construction, new industrial estates are planned and new shops and restaurants opened.
We end the day in Pajala to visit the new mining area at the village Kaunisvaara. This transformed a swamp into an approximately 2.5 km long, 750 feet wide and 350 feet deep open pit.
- When production is in full swing, we expect a production of five million tonnes a year, says Northlands Information Officer Niclas Dahlstrom when he shows us around the area.
It is thanks to the high demand for iron from China was suddenly deposit outside Pajala interesting to break.
- There is an old discovery, which was previously not been considered worth while to break. LKAB was here already in the 1970s and created huge expectations in Pajala, but it all fizzled out, says Niclas Dahlstrom. So woke up China between 2003 and 2008, prices of iron ore up by 500 percent. As our exploration showed that there were plenty of iron ore with high quality, we decided to invest in full swing.
So far, Northland invested five billion dollars on the new mine. Everything indicates that the company will get the money back - with interest. "