Tara Mines
Entrance | |
Tara Mine | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Location | Navan |
| County Meath | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Coordinates | 53°39′19″N 06°42′54″W / 53.65528°N 6.71500°W |
| Production | |
| Products | lead, zinc |
| Type | carbonate-hosted lead-zinc ore deposits |
| Greatest depth | 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1977 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Boliden |
| Website | www |
Tara Mines is a zinc and lead mine near Navan, County Meath, Ireland. Tara is an underground mine where the orebody lies between 50–900 metres (160–2,950 ft) below the surface. The orebody is within the carbonate-hosted lead-zinc ore deposits of the Navan Deposit.[1]
The deposit was discovered in 1970 by Brian Byrne in conjunction with Derek Michael Romer while working for Pat Hughes' Northgate Exploration. Development started in 1973 and production began in 1977. Tara Mine is operated by Boliden, who acquired the mine in 2004. It is the largest zinc mine in Europe and the eighth largest in the world producing 200,000 tonnes (200,000 long tons; 220,000 short tons) of zinc concentrate and 40,000 tonnes (39,000 long tons; 44,000 short tons) of lead concentrate annually.
Broken ore is delivered to one of five underground crushers and reduced in size to less than 150 millimetres (5.9 in) before being carried by conveyor to a 3,600-tonne (3,500-long-ton; 4,000-short-ton) capacity storage bin at the base of the production shaft. Skip loading and hoisting are automatic. Ore is supplied, at an hourly rate of 570 tonnes (560 long tons; 630 short tons), to the surface coarse ore storage building, with a 30,000-tonne (30,000-long-ton; 33,000-short-ton) capacity, known as the Tepee. The concentrates are shipped via Dublin Port to Boliden's smelters in Kokkola, Finland and Odda, Norway and to other smelters throughout Europe. Tara Mines is connected by railway to Drogheda via Navan, where daily loads of ore are sent to Dublin Port.
Due to low zinc prices, production was halted between 2001 and 2003. In 2009 production was again threatened as demand for zinc, used to galvanise steel for the car and construction industries, declined sharply due to the slowdown in the global economy. The mine was temporarily closed again in July 2023 due low zinc prices and increased energy costs.[2] It was reopened at the end of 2024.[3]
A brand new Autogenous Grinding mill, which replaces large sections of the original crushing and grinding plant, became operational in October 2009.[4]
Production at the mine temporarily ceased when the mine was flooded in 2021.[5] It again stopped operating in 2023 after production was suspended due to high costs, temporarily laying off 650 employees.[6] Following an agreement with the Workplace Relations Commission, the mines returned to operation in October 2024.[7]
References
- ^ Drummond, Drew; Blakeman, Robert; Ashton, John H.; Farrelly, Ian; Cloutier, Jonathan; Yesares, Lola; Boyce, Adrian (11 September 2023). "Ore depositional processes at the carbonate-hosted Tara Deep Zn-Pb deposit, Navan, Ireland". Irish-type Zn-Pb deposits around the world. Irish Association for Economic Geology. pp. 231–254. doi:10.61153/dpcd8412. ISBN 978-1-8382415-2-0.
- ^ O'Regan, Ellen (30 November 2023). "Tara Mines owner aims to reopen by second quarter of next year". The Irish Times. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
- ^ Chaberska, Anna (6 February 2025). "Swedish miner Boliden beats core profit view, but scraps dividend". Reuters. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
- ^ "Swedish Boliden says unions accept Tara mine deal". Reuters. 24 January 2009. Archived from the original on 29 April 2023.
- ^ Hussey, Sinéad (2 December 2021). "Water flow at Tara Mines in Meath brought under control". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ Flanagan, Peter (13 June 2023). "Tara Mines production suspended with 650 workers temporarily laid off". The Irish Times. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
- ^ Goodbody, Will (21 October 2024). "Tara Mines returning to full operation this week". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
Further reading
- Heaton, John (May 2013). "Irish freight on the move". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 159, no. 1345. Horncastle: Mortons Media Group. pp. 51–54. ISSN 0033-8923. OCLC 750645684.