Active underground zinc and lead mine near Stråssa in Lindesbergs Municipality, operating since the mid-1990s.
Lovisagruvan is an active underground sulphide ore mine located south of Stråssa in Lindesbergs Municipality, Örebro County, in the historical mining region of Bergslagen. The ore body was discovered in 1985 by LKAB and BP Minerals. It consists of a steeply dipping slab averaging approximately 0.8 metres in width, traced to depths exceeding 300 metres underground, and carries high grades of zinc and lead with minor silver.
Mining rights were acquired in 1989 by Lovisa Mines, which developed a specialised extraction technique for narrow ore bodies. Production began in June 1993 but Lovisa Mines entered insolvency simultaneously. Lovisagruvan AB was formed in 1994, acquiring the assets from the receiver.
Proof-of-concept extraction resumed in 1995, and the company was listed on Spotlight Stockmarket in 2004. Ore is currently processed at facilities in Poland after earlier arrangements with Boliden's Garpenberg concentrator were discontinued. The mine remains in active operation.
Lovisagruvan lies in Lindesbergs Municipality in the Bergslagen region of Örebro County, close to the former iron ore mining settlement of Stråssa. The ore deposit was identified in 1985 during prospecting conducted jointly by LKAB and BP Minerals. The mineralisation is a sulphide body containing zinc, lead, and minor quantities of silver; it was characterised from early exploration as a narrow, steeply dipping slab averaging around 0.8 metres in width, with the ore traced to depths of more than 300 metres. The deposit was estimated to contain approximately 400,000 tonnes of ore grading around 22 per cent zinc and 14 per cent lead, together with some 60 grams of silver per tonne.
Mining rights were purchased in 1989 by Lovisa Mines, which set about developing a technical approach specifically adapted to the unusual geometry of the narrow ore body. Preparation for extraction was carried out alongside the development of a concentrator facility in the premises of Grängesbergs Bolagen at the nearby Stråssa site — itself formerly the location of a significant iron ore mine that had closed in 1981–83 after decades of operation. Production commenced in June 1993, but Lovisa Mines entered bankruptcy at the same time. Lovisagruvan AB was established in 1994 and acquired the bankrupt company's assets. Proof extraction resumed in 1995, and by 1997 some 6,000 tonnes of ore were being produced annually. A long-term processing arrangement was concluded with Boliden AB for treatment of the concentrate at Boliden's Garpenberg facility, approximately 130 kilometres away.
Lovisagruvan AB was listed on what was then Aktietorget — now Spotlight Stockmarket — in 2004, the year in which regular production was re-established on a sustained commercial basis. Output grew steadily in subsequent years; annual extraction of around 35,000 to 40,000 tonnes became the operational target. The company employs around 17 people, most of whom work underground. The ore body has been extended through further exploration, with an additional southern mineralisation identified as C-malmen adding to the reserve. Processing arrangements shifted from Garpenberg to a facility in Poland after Boliden's capacity was no longer available. Ore is trucked from the mine to Köping harbour and shipped onward. The mine continues in active operation, with the company also holding a stake in the Stekenjokkgruvan project in northern Sweden.