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End of Norwegian Mining on Svalbard as Norway's Last Coal Mine Closes
On Monday, Mine 7 is offically closed, marking the end of Norwegian mining on Svalbard. "Not a celebration, but a dignified ending," says the General Manager of the mine to HNN.
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Norway's coal production on Svalbard is over. The company Store Norske is closing Mine 7, the last Norwegian coal mine.
Mining operations have played a significant role on the Arctic archipelago for over 100 years and has long been central to the settlement in Longyearbyen.
Today, Monday, the end of this chapter is officially marked on Svalbard.
"An ending marked with respect," says General Manager Gudmund Løvli of Mine 7 to High North News on Monday morning.
"We wanted to mark that we are now officially closing the mine shaft in Mine 7. Initially, it was supposed to be quite an anonymous event, but it has suddenly gained more attention," says Løvli, highlighting a.o. the extensive press coverage.
"We see media from all over the world here now. It has become bigger than we had expected ourselves."
A dignified conclusion
The official event took place at 2 pm today, when the mine officially closed and was followed by speeches and musical performances.
"It will be a simple symbolic act. Not a celebration, but a dignified ending," Løvli emphasises.
How is the atmosphere like today?
"The atmosphere is fine. This is something people have been prepared for for a long time. But of course, now it is over. I don't think we will fully process this until tomorrow."
Cleanup of the mine
Until now, the focus has been on cleanup inside the mine, removing things like power and clearing it completely before the water arrives in the summer.
"The plan was to be finished in May, and we are. Now the work begins to clear the outside areas, but with significantly less staffing," he concludes.
Extended operations for two years
The closing of the mine follows the deicision from 2021 to phase out Longyearbyen's coal power plant, which supplies the city with energy.
When Longyearbyen Community Ciyncil terminated the agreement to purchase coal from Mine 7 for energy production, Store Norske decided to close the mine in the autumn of 2023.
Following the war in Ukraine, high demand and high prices of coal, led to the decision to extend operations two more years.
