Björkdal
Underground gold mine with open-pit resources in Northern Sweden
Gold mining and production
The Björkdal operation lies within Sweden’s Boliden mining district, approximately 28km northwest of Skellefteå and approximately 750km north of Stockholm.
It is wholly owned by Alkane, following the merger with Mandalay Resources in August 2025. Open pit mining of the Björkdal deposit occurred from 1988 to 2019, and underground mining commenced in 2008.
Production is from the 1.4Mtpa Björkdal processing plant, which has been progressively upgraded since its commissioning in 1987. Current production is from underground and on surface low-grade stockpiled ore.
Björkdal produced 42,323oz of gold in calendar year 2024.
Key statistics
in 2024
Björkdal
1988-2024
Growth of resources
A sustained exploration program continues to grow resources for Björkdal’s processing plant. The orebody remains open at depth and to the north, plus we have additional resources nearby at Storheden and Norrberget.
In March 2025, a new mineralisation zone was announced for the ‘North Zone Below Marble’, which was previously discovered lying below the marble unit near the Aurora Zone.
New mineralisation wireframes were also prepared for the Storheden deposit, east of the Björkdal mine, announced in the NI 43-101 Technical Report (March 2025).
In 2024, expansion of the extensive mineral reserves increased mine life to 10 years, and an increase of Ore Reserves more than doubled 2024 depletion.
The combined Björkdal Mineral Resources at 31 December 2024 stood at 1,987koz contained gold.
Resources and reserves
At 31 December 2024, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves for Björkdal (including the Storheden, and Norrberget deposits) stood at:
- Total Mineral Resources (Measured and Indicated): 76Mt at 2.13g/t gold (1,422koz)
- Total Mineral Resources (Inferred): 11.71Mt at 1.5g/t gold (565koz)
- Total Ore Reserves (Proven + Probable): 13.68Mt at 1.28g/t gold (563koz)
Mineral resources as at 31 December 2024 (click to expand)
| LOCATION | AREA | TONNAGE (kt) | GRADE (g/t Au) | CONTAINED GOLD (koz) |
| Measured Mineral Resources | ||||
| Björkdal | Underground | 1,097 | 2.57 | 91 |
| Indicated Mineral Resources | ||||
| Björkdal | Open Pit | 4,130 | 1.61 | 213 |
| Björkdal Underground | 13,792 | 2.41 | 1,069 | |
| Stockpile | 1,520 | 0.59 | 29 | |
| Subtotal (Björkdal) | 19,442 | 2.10 | 1,311 | |
| Norrberget | Open Pit | 221 | 2.76 | 20 |
| Total (Measured + Indicated) | 20,760 | 2.13 | 1,422 | |
| Inferred Mineral Resources | ||||
| Björkdal | Open Pit | 6,666 | 1.09 | 233 |
| Björkdal Underground | 3,178 | 2.11 | 216 | |
| Storheden Underground | 1,769 | 1.74 | 99 | |
| Subtotal (Björkdal) | 11,613 | 1.47 | 548 | |
| Norrberget | Open Pit | 96 | 5.36 | 17 |
| Total (Inferred) | 11,709 | 1.50 | 565 | |
Ore reserves as at 31 December 2024 (click to expand)
| LOCATION | AREA | TONNAGE (kt) | GRADE (g/t Au) | CONTAINED GOLD (koz) |
| Proven Mineral Reserves | ||||
| Björkdal | Underground | 956 | 1.53 | 47 |
| Total Proven | 956 | 1.53 | 47 | |
| Probable Mineral Reserves | ||||
| Björkdal | Underground | 5,721 | 1.59 | 293 |
| Open Pit | 5,325 | 1.05 | 180 | |
| Norrberget | Open Pit | 161 | 2.72 | 14 |
| Stockpiles | Stockpiles | 1,520 | 0.59 | 29 |
| Total Probable | 12,727 | 1.26 | 516 | |
| Total Proven & Probable | 13,683 | 1.28 | 563 | |
Environment & social
We are committed to operational best practice for the environment, the safety and wellbeing of our employees and the resilience of our host communities and indigenous groups around Björkdal.
Environment, safety and communities remain key pillars of our day-to-day decisions and actions. All our operations are conducted under valid licences, permits and management plans. Björkdal maintains an endorsed Community Engagement Plan.
The Björkdal mine is located on Svaipa’s Sami winter grazing fields. The mine and the Sami village have an agreement that compensates the Sami village for grazing loss in the contract area. The agreement also provides compensation for other disturbances due to the mining operation. This perpetuity agreement was signed in 2017.
Careers
Björkdal offers rewarding career opportunities for university graduates, people qualified through the vocational education and training (VET) system, including higher vocational education (Yrkeshögskola), apprentices in selected trades, and experienced heavy machinery operators.
Some entry-level operator positions have limited formal skills requirements, and we actively encourage members of the local community to apply for on-the-job training. We value employees from a diverse range of backgrounds and are committed to equal opportunity recruitment.
We are a “residential” operation, meaning all employees return to their own homes at the end of each shift. The site is located near the regional centre of Skellefteå in northern Sweden, offering a high quality of life, beautiful natural surroundings, and strong local services.
Timeline
