Briefs from Svalbardposten for the week of March 22, 2016
Low-quality diesel a threat to cars; new fuel offered free Vehicles filled with diesel between Feb. 19. and March 17 are at risk of engine failure due to low-quality fuel meant for boats being...
View ArticleBriefs from Svalbardposten for the week of April 12, 2016
Unauthorized dogs face euthanization upon arrival People arriving in Svalbard with dogs without obtaining the necessary permission and vaccinations risk having the animal euthanized, according to a...
View ArticleBriefs from Svalbardposten for the week of July 26, 2016
Coal prices rebound, but not enough for profitable mining Store Norske’s final months of full-scale mining-related activities are both busy and more lucrative than expected as prices have risen from a...
View ArticleIt’s official – we’re in a depression: 16 percent drop of Svalbard’s economic...
A depression is defined as a 10 percent drop in economic activity or a downturn lasting more than two years. Svalbard has already blown through the first qualification with a 15.8 percent drop in...
View ArticleHeavy load: Last shipment of coal from Svea also means reluctant end for some...
Even after 39 years of working at the mines there’s no seniority rule to save Kjell Pettersen’s job or to keep him from being forced to leave Svalbard. The 64-year-old is preparing for the trip he...
View ArticlePower hungry: 20 witnesses detail Svalbard’s future needs during Parliament...
It’s a long wish list and not exactly new, but now it’s officially on the agenda of the deciders. An underwater power cable from the mainland, revised air traffic regulations, speeding up development...
View ArticlePity party? Perhaps not, as Store Norske may have reason for hope during...
Last month the company finished shutting down almost everything and laying off almost everyone. This month – and next – the company is the cause of much celebrating. The coal company’s 100th birthday...
View ArticleScrappy birthday: Government proposes giving Store Norske 244M more in...
It might not be the gift Store Norske wants, but it’s apparently the gift the company needs on its 100th birthday as the Norwegian government is proposing giving the company an additional 244 million...
View ArticleWorking out: Store Norske avoids possible strike, may possibly strike it rich...
Store Norske just finished shutting nearly everything down four months ago and most of the relatively few remaining workers were talking about going on strike. But the labor dispute was resolved...
View ArticleDire dozen: Number of people employed in Longyearbyen drops 12 percent due...
The number of people employed in Longyearbyen dropped 12 percent between 2015 and 2016, due primarily to Store Norske completing its large-scale layoffs and suspending most of its mining operations,...
View ArticleBriefs from Svalbardposten for the week of Sept. 26, 2017
Final fate of Svea and Lunckefjell mines may be determined Oct. 12 The few employees left at Svea will learn if the government supports resuming operations at the coal mine, as well as the one nearby...
View ArticleFINAL CLOSURE: Government recommends permanent shutdown of mining at Svea,...
Hopes of resuming large-scale coal mining in Svalbard were dashed Thursday morning – probably permanently – as the Norwegian government is recommending Svea and Lunckefjell remain closed, and that...
View ArticleThe (much) higher price of failure: Cost of dismantling Store Norske’s main...
Norway’s government has made it clear they’ll pay whatever it takes to shut down virtually all coal mining in Svalbard – and it turns out they’ll pay dearly as the estimated cost is now twice the 750...
View ArticleAbandon all hope: Svalbard’s 10 biggest stories of 2017
We’re not going to spin it: the year known as 2017 was a disaster – literally. An avalanche early on shook the community and its leaders to its foundations, climate change inflicted maybe its most...
View ArticleFrom ‘no’ to ‘maybe’: Mining coal at Svea while dismantling it may be OK,...
The Norwegian government appears to be relenting on its opposition to resuming coal mining at Svea under any circumstances, with a top official now stating the idea will be considered if it can be done...
View ArticleDead again: Store Norske, after getting ministry to say maybe, gives up on...
OK, this time the hope of doing any more mining at Svea is truly dead. Honest. Store Norske says it is giving up on the hoping of extracting coal from the mine while carrying out a government-ordered...
View ArticleROUGH JUSTICE: Monica Mæland presided over the shutdown of most of Svalbard’s...
Since her most notable Svalbard moment is a horde of emotionally-charged torch-wielding citizens cornering her in a dark parking lot, Monica Mæland is at the very least well-qualified to cope with...
View ArticleSVEA LOCKED: Final shutdown ceremony ‘marks the closure of over a hundred...
More than 30 million tons of coal were extracted over 17 years and there’s still another 10 million tons inside, but the symbolic final step of sealing it off seemingly forever occurred Wednesday as...
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