End of Norwegian Mining on Svalbard as Norway's Last Coal Mine Closes

Store Norske (the state-owned mining company) formally shut Mine 7 on Monday, which ended Norwegian coal mining on Svalbard. The mine was the last Norwegian coal mine in operation. Mining had been part of life on the archipelago for more than 100 years. It had long shaped the community in Longyearbyen.

The closing ceremony began at 14:00 and included speeches and musical performances. Gudmund Løvli, general manager of Mine 7, told High North News on Monday morning that the company wanted to mark the closing of the mine shaft. It had first been planned as a low-key occasion, but press interest grew, with media from around the world present. Løvli described the act as simple and symbolic. He said it was meant as a dignified ending rather than a celebration. He said the mood was fine, since people had long been prepared. He expected it would take until the next day before the closure sank in.

Work so far had concentrated on cleaning up inside the mine. This included taking out the power supply and emptying the mine before water comes in during the summer. The plan was to finish this in May, and Løvli said that target was met. The next stage is clearing the areas outside the mine, with far fewer staff.

The closure follows a 2021 decision to phase out the coal power plant that supplies Longyearbyen with energy. Longyearbyen lokalstyre (the local council) ended its agreement to buy coal from Mine 7 for power production. Store Norske then decided in the autumn of 2023 to close the mine. Strong demand and high coal prices after the war in Ukraine led the company to keep operating for two more years.