Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani
| Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani AS | |
|---|---|
| legal form | State enterprise , Aksjeselskap |
| founding | 1916 |
| Seat | Longyearbyen , Svalbard |
| management | Per Andersson (CEO) |
| Number of employees | 380 (2012) |
| sales | 1,200 million NOK |
| Branch | Mining |
| Website | www.snsk.no |
The Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani ( SNSK ) also simplifies Store Norske , the state Norwegian coal mining company based on the island of Spitsbergen .
history
It was founded in 1916 and took over the holdings of the Norwegian Spitsberg Syndicate , which had previously been bought by the Arctic Coal Company of the American John Munroe Longyear . Practically the entire Longyearbyen settlement also belonged to the company . However, since the introduction of political self-determination rights and the transition from a pure mining settlement to a village with tourism and educational offers, these have been largely sold.
In 2012 the company employed 360 people and operated two coal mines. In December 2015, due to the low coal prices and the resulting inefficiency of coal mining, the company announced that it would shut down the larger mine near the Sveagruva settlement , about 60 km south of Longyearbyen. However, the infrastructure should be maintained to such an extent that dismantling could be resumed at any time. Three million tons of hard coal were produced annually in the Svea Nord mine . The mine is estimated to contain a total of 72.5 million tons of coal, of which 32 million are commercially exploitable.
The coal seam is between 3 and 5.5 meters thick, which enables extremely efficient mining. It is anticipated that the mine could remain operational for at least 25 years.
The second mine, Gruve 7 , is located approximately 15 km southeast of Longyearbyen. It is the last of the seven mines around the capital of the archipelago where coal is still extracted. The mine has been in operation since 1975 and employs around 20 people. About a third of their income is used in the Longyear coal-fired power station to power the island. The mining in this pit is to be intensified for the time being.
A former mine of Store Norske, "Gruve 3" near Longyearbyen, has been converted into a mining museum for several years. The planned show mine could be opened to visitors for the first time from 2015.
The company has a total of 316 claims for coal mining rights in Svalbard. These claims are awarded by the Norwegian mine inspector and entitle the holder to exclusive mining of mineral resources in an area. Since the entry into force of the Spitzberg contract is per claim an annual fee of 6000 NOK to pay about half of the claims of the Store Norske , however, are older than the Svalbard Treaty. In addition to coal, zinc, copper, gold, lead and other minerals are also suspected in some of the areas covered by the claims.
Store Norske planned to open a new coal mine in Lunckefjell. This planned mining site is located immediately north of the currently operating Svea Nord mine. The coal deposits there are estimated at eight million tons of coal. On December 22, 2011, the responsible Norwegian ministries approved the opening of the planned coal mine in Lunckefjell. The schedule stipulates that coal will be mined in Lunckefjell from 2014 to 2018 and that the area will be renatured in 2019. After the closure of the mine in Sveagruva, it is more than questionable whether this will happen.
Web links
- Company website (Norwegian / English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Svea. In: snsk.no. Store Norske, 2016, accessed April 9, 2017 (Norwegian).
- ↑ Svalbard: Planned Mining Museum Gruve 3, Longyearbyen. In: wolkenwindundmeer.de. Retrieved October 9, 2014 .
- ↑ The Lunckefjell project. (No longer available online.) In: snsk.no. Store Norske, archived from the original on October 6, 2014 ; accessed on September 30, 2014 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
