Metso and the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) are advancing plans for a new pilot-scale concentrator plant at GTK Mintec in Outokumpu, expanding Finland’s mineral-processing research infrastructure.
Metso has signed an agreement with GTK covering the engineering and delivery of process technology for the facility. The contract value was not disclosed, and the order was recorded in Metso’s Minerals segment during the third quarter of 2026. Operations at the new plant are targeted to begin by the end of 2028.
Testing Primary and Secondary Materials
The facility is intended to support beneficiation testing for primary ores, as well as secondary and circular-economy materials. Its focus will include process technologies aimed at reducing energy, water and chemical consumption in mineral processing. GTK Mintec already provides laboratory and pilot-scale services to mining companies and technology developers, allowing them to test ore characteristics and processing flowsheets before proceeding with full-scale project construction. The new Outokumpu plant is expected to expand these capabilities as process design becomes increasingly important to mine development and processing economics.
Processing Complex Ores
European mining projects are facing pressure to recover more metals from increasingly complex ores while reducing water consumption, tailings volumes, energy use and emissions. Pilot-scale facilities can help reduce development risk by testing recovery rates, reagent consumption and equipment performance before companies commit capital to commercial-scale processing plants.
Finland has developed a significant mining and processing sector supported by resources including nickel, cobalt, lithium, copper and gold, alongside an established metallurgical and mining-equipment industry. Metso supplies mineral-processing equipment and technologies covering crushing, grinding, flotation, filtration and hydrometallurgical systems.
Domestic Processing Capacity
The project comes as European policymakers and mining companies seek to bring a larger share of mineral processing and refining closer to domestic mines and manufacturing centres. Europe remains dependent on imported processed materials used in batteries, renewable-energy equipment, defence applications and advanced manufacturing, including in cases where mineral deposits are available within the region.
The investment in the Outokumpu facility adds mineral-processing capacity to Finland’s mining value chain beyond exploration and extraction. It is intended to support the development of processing technologies from laboratory and pilot testing toward commercially bankable projects, as the European Union seeks to reduce dependence on overseas refining and processing and develop domestic critical-mineral supply chains.
