The shutdowns are the most extensive for the past few years and will affect about 1000 workers.

At Outokumpu Harjavalta Metals, the copper and nickel flash smelting furnaces as well as their waste heat boilers are the main targets of the maintenance.

The most important investments are the modernisation of the anode casting shop, which will improve the quality of waste water, and the renewal of the converter gas line, which will improve sulphur dioxide emissions.

Work at the OMG Harjavalta Nickel leaching plant will focus on alteration of the autoclaves in order to intensify pressure leaching. Among the largest separate maintenance operations is the changing of the heat exchanger tubes in the reduction plant. The investments made in the reduction plant will result in improved recovery of nickel powder and ammonia.

Outokumpu Harjavalta Metals will restart nickel production on August 21 while OMG Harjavalta Nickel's copper smelter will come online on August 23 and its nickel smelter will fire up on August 27.