Ola tunnel is complete

“All good things come to an end, but it does feel a bit bittersweet. I think we have done a really good job with excellent tunneling work. It is with pride that we leave Kristineberg this time,” says Bergteamet’s site manager Daniel Lithell.

Over a mile of tunnel

Bergteamet’s assignment has been to drive the Ola tunnel between Kristineberg and Rävliden. It has also included tunneling in Rävliden for main ramps, crusher hall, transshipment, as well as workshop and parking spaces. Bergteamet has also assisted with some media installations. In total, 12.5 kilometers of tunnel have been driven.

Seamless meeting

Daniel Lithell is pleased with the breakthrough, which is the second in the Kristineberg project. The first was up to the day and took place in August 2023.

“It is always fun with a breakthrough, and the meeting was almost spot on. After the rock reinforcement, it is impossible to see where the seam is,” says Daniel Lithell.

The completed breakthrough was given a little extra attention.

“We were six employees on site on Saturday evening, and afterwards we celebrated with pizza and chocolate balls,” says Daniel.

Would you like to highlight anything specific about the project in Kristineberg?

“It is the quality and collaboration. The miners and supervisors have worked purposefully and done a fantastic job, and we have had a fruitful collaboration with Boliden. During the course of the work, we have faced several challenges with both water and poor rock, which meant that at times we could neither shoot nor load. But together, we have overcome the challenges and performed work with high precision that looks great.”