svalbard News

Gold strike on Svalbard

Amanda Graham — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 05:36:48 GMT

(Barents Observer, 6 January 2011) -- The company Store Norske Gull has found gold on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. Store Norske Gull started drilling this summer in the St. Johnsfjord on the western coast of the island Spitsbergen, after successful geological surveys in 2009. Analysis made in Canada and Sweden show that there is gold in the area, but it is too early to say if the deposits are big enough to be profitable, NRK reports. According to Morten Often in Store Norske Gull, the explorations will continue next summer. Store Norske Gull is a daughter company of the Store Norske Group, which operates Norwegian coal production on Svalbard.

Russians restarted coal mining at Svalbard

Amanda Graham — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 18:04:23 GMT

(BarentsObserver, 8 November 2010) -- The Russian company Trust Arktikugol has restarted coal mining at the archipelago of Svalbard after a two-and-a-half-year break. The production halt came after a fire in the local mine in 2008. Sea water was pumped into the mine to extinguish the fire, which subsequently destroyed equipment and required a major overhaul of production. Production restart was further complicated by low coal prices, NRK reports. In 2009, Svalbard had a population of 2,753, of which 423 were Russian and Ukrainian, Wikipedia informs. In Barentsburg, mining is the only livelihood, while the neighboring Norwegian settlement of Longyearbyen in addition to mining also has a well-developed tourist industry and a significant presence of polar researchers.

University and museum strengthened

Amanda Graham — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 22:39:08 GMT

(Svalbardposten, 5 October 2010) -- The Norwegian Government proposes an increase of 4.8 million kronor to UNIS to establish 20 new places and to pursue the 20 new places from last year. The total proposed allocation of 97.2 million kroner. It emerged as a proposal for next year's budget that was presented on Tuesday [5 October]. "With 20 new students, we have increased the student population by 30 percent in two years. This is a large number," says UNIS managing director Gunnar Sand. He is pleased with the budget document, but notes, however, that he has not yet had time to read it carefully. The grant for the Svalbard Museum is proposed to be increased by 435,000 million, representing 1.56 million kroner this year. The total Svalbard budget for 2011 is 266.9 million NOK. This is NOK 18.1 million, or about 7 percent, more compared to last year's budget.

Spitsbergen, Norway: Black gold heralds new ice age

Amanda Graham — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:20:33 GMT

(Nigel Richardson/Telegraph, 30 December 2009) -- In the autumn of 1921, a Norwegian trapper called Georg Nilsen went polar bear hunting on the island of Spitsbergen, high in the Arctic Circle. He promised he would be back for Christmas, but he was never seen alive again. The mystery of Nilsen's fate persisted until 1965 when his skeletal remains were found along with his rifle, which had a cartridge jammed in the chamber. Betrayed by mechanical malfunction, the hunter had become the hunted. Nilsen was killed and eaten by a polar bear. His jammed rifle – now on display in Svalbard Museum on Spitsbergen – is a powerful symbol of the hardship, danger and mystery of this forbidding place. I thought of Nilsen as I stood on Cape Linné, in the far west of the island, where a radio station was built in 1933 to link Spitsbergen with the world. ...

Like the Wild West, the Arctic North has attracted characters and deeds of mythic proportions. Spitsbergen is the main island of the archipelago of Svalbard, 24,000 square miles of rock and glacier lived on by 2,500 people – and considerably more polar bears. For centuries Svalbard belonged to every nation and none. Dutch, Russians, Scandinavians and British all came here to kill whales and bears for blubber and fur, dig for coal, and prove themselves equal to some of the most arduous living conditions on earth. Since the Svalbard Treaty of 1920, the archipelago has officially belonged to Norway, but the 39 signatory nations – including the likes of Afghanistan and Venezuela as well as the major industrialised countries – have equal rights with Norway in terms of industrial, maritime and mining activities. And you can be sure that many have kept their finger in this particular frozen gateau.

In other words, Svalbard is still the Wild West – and a new frenzy of claim and counter-claim is about to break over its snowy head. As global warming melts the polar ice cap, competing nations are searching for oil beneath it – where an estimated quarter of the world's reserves are thought to lie – and shipping lanes through it.

Norway wants Svalbard in UNESCO

Amanda Graham — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 07:03:08 GMT

(IceNews, 14 April 2009) -- The Norwegian government has submitted a white paper to parliament stating that it is finally prepared to nominate Svalbard for the UNESCO World Heritage List. This designation is the highest international status a landmark can be given, and would increase the pressure within Norway to protect the pristine region. The government did not state which parts of the expansive and remote Svalbard Islands it planned to designate, but alluded to the fact that this would be determined during the nomination process, SIKUnews reports.

Analysts believe they may try to nominate the area presently protected by the Svalbard Environmental Law, which was created by the Norwegian government to preserve the pristine archipelago. This area comprises 87 percent of the territorial waters and 65 percent of the landmass within the 12-nautical mile boundary currently under protection. Norway already has seven sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Svalbard has been a tentative nomination for two years already, but the government seems keen on finally pushing for its permanent protection. The application will be ready by the end of 2012, and the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will consider it at their meeting in 2014.