Norway closes the last coal mine. What about Svalbard?

wysokienapiecie.pl 2 weeks ago

Zdjęcie: Norwegia zamyka ostatnią kopalnię węgla. Co ze Svalbardem?

Norwegians indignant of mine closure

− The closure of Gruve 7 is simply a political decision – says Kamil, my Norwegian guide to Gruve 3, 1 of many already closed coal mines on Spitsbergen. “These changes make no sense, due to the fact that the CHP plant was replaced with a diesel-fired cogeneration, which was imported by tankers,” he adds in a dark mined corridor.

Gruve 3, which I visit together with her, was closed in 1996, after only 25 years of operation. Almost all another mines in this Arctic archipelago controlled by the Norwegians have been hit by a akin fate. Only 2 remained – Norwegian Gruve 7 in Norwegian Longyerbyen and Russian mine in Barentsburg.

The last Norwegian mine – Gruve 7, from which coal besides went to Poland – will be closed in a fewer days, at the end of June 2025. Thus the 124-year past of Norwegian coal mining will come to an end. Norway, alongside Poland, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey, belongs to the last countries of Europe, where “black gold” is inactive mined. Although coal was erstwhile mined throughout Europe, from Portugal to Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria to Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

Encouraged by Kamila I crawl into 1 of the excavations made available at the end of coal exploitation in Gruve 3. I've got about half a metre of space between the velocity and the ceiling. It is hard to imagine the many hours of work done by Norwegian miners 30 years ago. – The lowest utilized wall was 38 cm, the highest only 90 cm. The average density of deposits was 60 cm, as calculated by Kamila.

In the closing Gruve 7 the situation is not much better. Interwall walkways are only 150 cm high, and miners scope the wall with an electrical vehicle in a half-bed position. The wall harvester is driven on his knees. It's just as hard as it was in the Walbrzych territory before it was liquidated. Although the threats were somewhat different from those in Lower Silesia. The explosions of methane and flooding happen rarely. For example, it digs here in an eternal cold, horizontally, across the mountain, about 200 m above sea level, and about 400-600 m below the peaks. The miners were mainly killed by breakages, fires and explosions of coal dust.

In 1 of these fires, Tom Eirik Gylseth's father was killed in the 1980s, standing silently next to me in a mined corridor. “After my father died, we moved out of Longyearbyen and moved to the north of [continental] Norway. Unlike my father, I engaged in fishing,” explains Tom. After this tragedy, what does he think of the decision to end the mining of coal in Gruve 7? I think it's a political decision too. Norway wants to be green, but we actually extract and export immense amounts of gas and oil," she notes.

Coke coal is simply a strategical natural material in the EU

− All right, I'm going further, but gas and oil bring tremendous profits to Norway, while looking at the fact that from Svalbard we are closer to the North Pole [1300 km] than to Oslo [2000 km], we are talking about the northernmost town on Earth and looking at these thin deposits, but is it not an economical issue? - I'm asking.

Finally, the Polish JSW, operating on better deposits, located much closer to European steelworks, already has immense financial problems. In the first 4th of this year, due to the decrease in coke coal prices and the increase in costs, especially wages, the failure of the company exceeded PLN 1.3 billion.

– We have very good coal on Svalbard, utilized even in the production of steel for the automotive industry. Of course, sometimes coal prices fall and production becomes unprofitable, but then they grow, and the company earns. After the war, we made money, and our coal went to Europe as our contribution to the economical safety of the continent. For this reason, the date of completion of the extraction was transferred from 2023 to 2025 – Kamila convinces me.

It is precisely due to the fact that European factories are looking for this natural material, and we are inactive far from profitable green steel production, that coke coal has been included in the EU list of strategical natural materials. The European Union supports the extraction of this coal (against the general opinion in Poland, nor does it prohibit the extraction of energy coal. At most, he forbids his subsidies). The EU regulations that Norway partially transposes as an EEA associate have nothing to do with this. Especially since Svalbard itself does not belong to the EEA.

A night campfire with a glaring sun

Tempted by a large fire on the beach, I'm coming down Longyearbyen. I pass the reindeer on the sidewalk, due to the fact that after a fewer days on Spitzbergen people will get utilized to them as cats on the streets of Polish towns. I only want I'd brought my sunglasses due to the fact that at 1:00 a.m., the sun hangs in the north, glowing in my eyes.

The bonfire on an island almost exclusively covered with ice and stones is simply a alternatively peculiar view. All over Spitzbergen, there is not a single tree that can grow beyond the size of a rachitic seedling. − Everything we buy on Svalbard [a supermarket works here and respective boutiques – ed.] reaches by ships or planes in crates and pallets. Something needs to be done with this wood, so on any occasion and without a chance we organize campfires here – explains the Norwegian sailor surviving in Svalbard for respective years. In this climate and in a tiny community of respective twelve nationalities, people are getting close to each other, and a bonfire with a premium drink at 1 a.m. at 1 a.m. in full sunlight is simply a perfect chance to bond.

− I've been working at store Norske for 9 years – he tells me by drinking beer and warming at the fire, Thomas. store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani (SNKN) is simply a state-owned Norwegian coal mining company in Longyearbyen since 1916, i.e. since the Norwegians bought Arctic Coal Company mines along with the full Longyaer City from John Munro Longyear, an American businessman who started industrial mining on the island in 1906, establishing today's archipelago capital.

Both at the beginning of existence and for respective decades thereafter, it was a typical private mining town. Until the 1980s, the currency displayed by the mine was turned here, which could be paid in a mine store. The first local government elections were held here only in 2001. To this day, however, SNKN owns a crucial part of the Longyerbien property. Thomas manages them. How does he feel about the mine being destroyed?

− Almost all of Svalbard's coal mining past is unprofitable. The fact that after Russia's attack on Ukraine for 2 years the company made money from mining, due to the fact that coal prices have increased very strongly, does not change much. They're falling again today. In my opinion, the primary reason for ending mining in Gruve 7 is economics. We produce only 125,000 tons of coal per year. Do you know how much we utilized to mine in Sveagruve? 10 1000 tons... a day, and it was usually unprofitable,” explains Thomas.

Svea no longer exists

The mentioned Svea was founded by a Swedish mining company in 1917, about 40 km southeast of Longyear. The extraction there besides did not bring any expected profits. The Swedes closed production as early as 1925, and a fewer years later resold the town along with the Norwegian mine. Now they paid for the extraction until they found the diamond in the crown of arctic mining – a carbon deck of 4-5 meters. Thanks to the operation of the Svea Nord mine, store Norske closed 2002 (and respective consecutive years) by profit. It was the first profit in... the 1970s. (when coal prices rose to incredible values for a minute due to the fuel crisis).

After respective profitable years, however, coal prices began to fall again, and Svea Nord, after extracting the best decks, began digging more and more stones. Despite the protests of WWF, Greenpeace and another environmental organizations, the Oslo government has given approval to build a fresh mine next door. Lunchefjell started in 2014, but coal prices had already dropped to specified a level that further production was halted almost immediately after its launch. After a fewer years of expectations of the market, the Norwegian government considered that it would no longer subsidize the maintenance of mining capacity in Svea.

In 2017, it was decided that the mines of Svea Nord, Luckefjell and any traces of Norwegian existence in this place (roads, queues, cranes, power station, wharf and the full mining settlement) would disappear. The task was carried out until 2023.

After Svea, only 4 historical buildings were left. Google satellite images inactive show Sveagruva bustling – with cars and buildings. possibly due to the fact that Google map professionals find it hard to believe that in a fewer years you can completely erase the town from the landscape. The reclamation was carried out so precisely that even the rocks were arranged in the direction in which they would be arranged by nature.

Pyramiden has left all russian miners

In the same fjord as Longyearbyen, there is another city. erstwhile as “great” as the Norwegian capital of Svalbard. At the time of the USSR, Pyramiden had more than 1,000 inhabitants. present only a few, and possibly a dozen, workers of the Arktikugol State Industrial Trust, which mined coal here until the late 1990s. With the collapse of the USSR, however, the subsidies for mining and operation of this mine ended, and the inhabitants were shaken by the tragedy that accelerated the decision to leave the city.

Flying from Pyramid Tupolev Tu 154M, with 141 people on board (almost exclusively mine workers and their loved ones), approaching landing at Longyerbyen hit the mountain next to the airport. All passengers and all crew died. Actually, everyone in this tiny town lost their friends in this disaster. 2 years later, in 1998, the city had de facto left the last residents outside the caretakers and employees of the CHP plant and the hotel.

Unfortunately, although we have half of June, the ghost town and its abandoned mine can only be viewed from the boat deck. We will not be able to get to it, due to the fact that there is simply a sea mile of compact ice cover, along which Arctic whites are actively hunting. Ice is 1 of the reasons why Russia has given up on keeping this place alive more rapidly and for which ambitious plans to make a base in Pyramiden for scientists from Russia-friendly countries stay on paper for now.

Ny-Alesund – miners were replaced by scientists

After little than 2 days of sailing from Pyramiden, we reached the northernmost human settlement on our planet. After landing in a tiny port of Ny-Alesund, 2 things come to my attention – a beautifully preserved steamer utilized to carry coal from mines to the port and a sign asking visitors to turn off Bluetooth and Wi-fi on their phones. Interesting time travel.

A small further, in the only store in the village, another ban – carrying weapons. Together with a popular rifle, a mauser, a 7.62 mm caliber on the island, on which there is inactive a engraved swastika, so I wait under the store for the remainder of the crew. Without the rifle, we couldn't have gone beyond the settlement. Ready to shoot a weapon is intended to increase the chance of endurance in the event of a besides close encounter of 1 of respective 1000 polar bears surviving around the Barents Sea.

Although bears sometimes look in and around the town, we have a much better chance of gathering 1 of the scientists investigating the negative effects of climate change, including their population.

Ny-Alesund was founded in 1916 by the Norwegian Kings Bay Kull Company. The extraction, sometimes even profitable, lasted half a century. Unfortunately, in 1962, 1 of the biggest disasters in Norwegian mining occurred here. It cost the lives of 21 miners, led to the resignation of the government and ended coal mining in the town.

The erstwhile mining company so cut off from the name “Kull Company” (coal company) and took care of what Gruve 7 will take care of after closing – the management of the site, the rental of real property and logistics.

Kings Bay manages the infrastructure serving scientists. In and around the settlement you can see a mass of equipment serving almost 200 researchers from Norway, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea, China and India. Hence the request to disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in phones, due to the fact that radio communication can interfere with data transmission from investigation equipment.

It is somewhat perverse that in the erstwhile mining settlement scientists are studying climate change today, especially caused by coal burning. The Arctic is 1 of the fastest warming areas on Earth. While the 20-year average temperature of the full globe has increased by 1st C compared to the pre-industrial era, Svalbard is already 4th C and accelerates.

Electric truck on Spitsbergen

And the interesting thing is that in this arctic town, you usage a supply-loaded e-NV200 with a full electrical drive. “How does this work under these conditions?” I ask the driver who enjoys the summertime sun on a bench in the port. - No problem. The only drawback is the deficiency of drive on both axles, due to the fact that sometimes with fresh snow it would be useful. With the battery, we never had any problem. The only thing is this tiny [acid-lead 12 V] battery we gotta connect in winter for charging just like in combustion cars – explains Norway.

His answer that they didn't have the slightest problem with the electrician at minus 30-40 degrees C, which happens here, might have amazed me more if it wasn't for the fact that 2 years earlier alone We tested an electrician in northern Norway and Finland at minus 32 degrees C. and we had no problem with it, but freezing the windows from within (despite the walking heating inside).

I was more amazed by Helge Jensen, head of sales in Toyota's Longyerbyen surviving room, who asked about electricity on the island (there are quite a few them, including the SNSK mining fleet) said that not only did they have no problem with them, but they would alternatively sale them alternatively of hybrids that are doing worse at these temperatures. The problem is that there is no fast loader on the island, which limits the anticipation of utilizing these winters to carry tourists. Although there are little than 50 km of roads in the city, with strong frosts, as the car heats the compartment all day, the battery must be charged.

Ironically, electrical cars on the island are powered by electricity... from diesel. Although Norway does much to limit its burning on the archipelago. W

Russian settlement with Ukrainians fleeing Russian artillery

The last settlement on the island, Barentsburg, welcomes a fewer visitors with dense black smoke rising from the chimney of the power plant. Apparently, they didn't go on diesel here. They don't know the filters either.

In a fewer days, erstwhile the Norwegian mine is closed, the 1 in Barentsburg will stay the last active mine on Spitsbergen (although not in the Arctic, due to the fact that in its continental Russian part a fresh discovery mine on the Syrian deposit is about to start).

Not only black smoke against the background of white mountains and pstrokate blocks from a large plate make Barentsburg a settlement of contrasts. 3 1000 kilometers from the front line live alongside the Russians and Ukrainians. The owner of a large Polish Ukrainian explains to me that she escaped from Russian fire from Zaporozh. First to Poland. – I lived in Warsaw, Łódź and Gdansk. all time I moved to a fresh town, I had to fill out my paperwork and get approval to work again. It was so annoying, I yet came here. On Spitsberg, anyone can work without a visa, and half the people in Barentsburg are Ukrainians − explains.

It does not gain much for a place at the end of the world, where in winter it is -30°C (4-5 1000 zł per month, of which it inactive pays the apartment). Polish cooks in Longyearbyen get 2-3 times more. However, as she tells me, there's nowhere to go, so her days are filled with work, sports and Netflix. He spends his vacation in Asia to catch quite a few sun comparatively cheaply. Although, as she convinces, the polar night, which lasts here 111 days, does not peculiarly bother her.

Meanwhile, Tatiana, a teacher from Moscow, moved to Spitsbergen just for those nights and polar landscapes. First she taught and directed the local school (had 35 students), and now she works at the museum.

Barentsburg: Geology kills mine and tourism war

However, outside school, museum, shop, swimming pool, dog farm, beer, restaurant or port, there is not much work not related to the mine today. Especially since the Norwegians stopped coming here and bringing tourists as part of organized trips. – I utilized to swim with tourists to Barentsburg regularly, but I haven't been there erstwhile since 2022, and I know that others are boycotting them besides – he explained to me a fewer days earlier, by a fire on the beach, a Norwegian sailor.

And in the mine itself, there is little and little work. – erstwhile the coal from here went to Poland and the Netherlands, but through the embargo, now it only flows to Russia, but at lower prices. I think mine days are numbered due to the fact that it's not profitable. What about her? We'll see. Tomorrow, for the first time in 10 years, we have a ship coming to us with tourists from Murmanska, “Professor Molchanov”, tells us with clear hope Tatiana.

Arktikugol hopes that the passengers of “Professor Molchanov” will replace Western tourists. The sea connection is the only hope for the settlement to sustain tourism. It does not require the Russians to have visas, in contrast to air connections which are held by Tromso or Oslo, the Schengen area. The Russian request to launch flights from Moscow was rejected by the Norwegians. Russian aircraft have been incapable to fly over the territory of the European Union since 2022, and Norway has joined these sanctions. He hasn't issued tourist visas to Russians in a year, so even if they wanted to, they wouldn't be coming to the island for unprofessional purposes.

The Russians themselves have disposed of the man who developed tourism in Barentsburg for years. Originating from Murmansk Timofey Rogozin, as Barents Observer writes, he was forced to leave the state company following his anti-government statements following Russia's aggression against Ukraine. present he lives in Longyearbyen, and the authorities of his homeland he calls "fascist regime".

Apparently, due to the expected arrival of the ship from Murmanian Arktikugol workers take off the USSR flag buildings that have been hanging here for 2 years (probably to spite Norwegians). Their place, alongside the Arktikugol flags, will take the flag of Russia. next day the number of people in the settlement will emergence by respective twelve percent.

The simplification of unrecent coal production, followed by tourism, made the population of Barentsburg fall from a 1000 to about 300-400 people. That's what authoritative statistic say. However, judging from the deserted streets, I would not be amazed if, in reality, 200 people lived here.

A ship from Murmansk will not make life return to the settlement. "Professor Molchanov" is actually an old investigation vessel, which can accommodate only 40 passengers (Russia has no larger cruise ships in the essential ice class here), flows 3 days 1 way, and tickets for this journey cost PLN 27 1000 per person.

Who's gonna stay on Spitsberg?

The fight between the Russians and the Norwegians to keep the operation of settlements on the island is not, of course, due to the request to extract coal or to supply work for miners leaving mines. It is besides not due to the request to keep social tissue. In Svalbard, but for a fewer exceptions, he is not born or dies. It feels temporary. Almost everyone came from somewhere a fewer years ago and plans to return in 5, 10, or 20 years.

The Treaty on Spitsberg of 1920, whose parties are 48 states, including Russia or Poland, recognised Norway's sovereign sovereignty over the archipelago, with the exception that citizens and businesses of all Signatory States have the same right to settle here (on Svalbard can be arrived without a visa), fishing, hunting, mining, industrial and commercial activities.

Although the treaty explicitly prohibits building military bases here, the archipelago is located strategically. More than Greenland, which is feverishly sought by Donald Trump, and whose areas at the same latitude as Sbvalbard, are iced. To the western shores of Svalbard reaches (yet) Golftrom, a warm ocean current flowing from the Caribbean. This makes it possible to sail all year circular on the western shores, and more and more frequently – due to the retreat of the Arctic ice cream, it besides allows you to cross routes around the island for most of the year.

Its location allows control of the transit routes of the Russian North Fleet on the Kolsko Peninsula, where strategical submarines of Russia are stationed. In addition, offshore waters abound in fish and shrimp fisheries. The SvalSat station is besides close to the capital – the largest terrestrial point of communication with satellites in low polar orbits, allowing to receive a signal on all lap of the Earth.

Both Russia and Norway just want to be here. mostly for strategical reasons. Coal mining was a good argument for this and a fuel that kept the inhabitants of these towns alive.

Now, this reason in Norwegian settlements – Longyearbyen and Ny-Alesund – is to be tourism and research. A Norwegian university has been operating in the capital of the archipelago for 20 years, and SNSK late built fresh homes for a increasing number of students. The closure of Gruve 7 will no longer have a major impact on life in Longyearbyen, which has successfully undergone transformation from the town only mining, to the academic town and tourist base.

Meanwhile, Russia is making plans to go through the Norwegians and make Pyramiden a technological base specified as Ny-Alesund and Barentsburg a second Longyearbyen, but plans usually end, and expanding sanctions hinder its operation on the island. However, it is hard to imagine that Moscow has decided to completely leave its settlements on Spitsbergen. He'll bring green people there, at most, alternatively of the common people.

Although we are talking about towns on the edge of the globe, writing about the transformation of Longyearbyen, which allowed it to function after the coal mining was completed, it is hard not to think about what would keep people at the edge of Poland, in specified Bogatyn, after the operation of mines and Turów power plants. specified a transformation will besides require at least 20 years and is surely unbearable for the municipality itself. The question is, do politicians in Warsaw have specified a plan as politicians in Oslo had on Longyearbyen?

On Monday, June 30, 2025, Longyearbyen will hold the last celebrations related to the completion of 119-year past of mining in the city.

Read Entire Article