20th November '22 | Postcards by Fabienne

Visiting Norway's last active coal mine

Hej, hej,

I feel this update is going to be a little bit shorter. I was sick earlier this week, and right now, I feel it is coming back again. I don’t know, it felt/feels like the strange stomach flu with feeling nauseous, dizzy, some headache, and fatigue. But luckily still without features where the body’s input and output system is messed up :D. But this constant sickness/nausea is just killing me. It was the worst from Sunday to Wednesday but got better on Thursday when I switched to drinking bottled water (some other students had similar issues, and we suspected the tab water since it can be quite brownish sometimes…). Right now, it’s back. Maybe, I can soon write a review of visiting the northernmost hospital (since this is the only place where we have a doctor up here). Maybe it has something to do with the darkness and the metabolism being fu*** up. We’ll see.

Let’s have a look at the last week:

• Monday - Wednesday: Trying to “survive”, but being brave and attending lectures. And then spending the rest of the day with Netflix and knitting. I also had really good meetings for my master’s thesis.

• Thursday: This girl celebrated her 33rd birthday on an island close to the north pole 😊 Though I wish I would have been able to see friends and family, it was a super nice day. I was already planning to skip the afternoon lecture but was really keen on joining the morning excursion to the recycling station of Longyearbyen. Well, I mixed up times and missed the bus – great start to the new year 😉 This got me a free morning and a spontaneous cosy cinnamon roll breakfast with two other girls, followed by some really nice and long chats on the phone. Then we spent the evening at the university’s fireplace with some drinks and snacks. Two of my classmates made a Norwegian rice pudding called “Risgrøt”, which traditionally contains a single almond. Whoever finds it wins a marzipan pig. I did not win, but I also do not like marzipan too much :D. Then we played some games, and it was a super nice birthday. I even got a cake that made me turn one-year younger, and my Norwegian classmates sang a cute birthday song for me!

  

  And look at my new Svalbard wool sweater with matching gloves that Sven organised for me as a gift from all the people at home!

• Friday: We went on an excursion to Longyearbyen's last active Norwegian coal mine.

• Saturday: After a slower morning, I visited the small Christmas market from local artists and manufacturers (super nice and cosy), and then it was time to finish our group work project. And later, we will do a game evening and maybe go to one of the bars – let’s see how I feel, but I have not been out in the last weeks and would really like to join.

• Sunday: Planning on doing not much – maybe huskies café. And call mum – it’s her birthday today 😊. We are going to celebrate when I am back.

Mine 7 is the only active Norwegian mine and is located outside of Longyearbyen – so we went there by bus – out in total darkness and on a very slippery road. We had some melting and rain and freezing again, and everything is super slippery up here.

We were not allowed to enter any further than the tunnel's entrance since the mine itself is considered critical infrastructure. But we got a presentation about the current operations and asked many questions. Afterwards, we got a tour of the workshop.

The tunnel of the mine reaches 6.5 km into the mountain, and the workers go there by car. We were told that at the end of the supply tunnel, there are facilities for resting in between, which we should picture as similar to normal staff rooms but with extra safety features.

The major part of the coal is used for the energy supply of the local coal power plant. But the finer material and coal dust gets sold to a German company that uses it in chemical coating processes (as far as I understood).

The mine was supposed to be shut down by the end of the year and then fully decommissioned (yes, all industrial operations on Svalbard must be fully disposed of after the lifetime). But due to the energy crises and ongoing discussions about suitable renewable energy solutions for Longyearbyen, the production period was extended.

We were curious about the people working in the mine. So we learned about the fact that right now, there is only a single woman in the team, but they recently had new female applications. Actually, to go on an adventure and work in the mine here, there are no other requirements than being willing and physically able to do so. Of course, it is perfect if you have experience with heavy machinery, but it is not required since you will get introduced to everything.

Mine 7 is even an official training facility for miners. People working there come from various backgrounds. Some stay only short-term since they might not be coping too well with the actual job – or simply living on Svalbard. Others stay for years.

The staff we met was super nice and funny. So we also asked about their feelings about shutting down the mine. It was interesting to hear! Of course, you will be sad whenever you enjoy your job or workplace. But on the other hand, they understand the constraints we face with fossil fuels. Plus, it is not the company, Store Norske, shutting down but the mine - which can be seen as finishing a project.

But what surprised us the most was the fact that they said: “Well, when we finally close the last mine up here, we should probably even think about not having any settlement up here anymore. Longyearbyen was established with the single purpose of being a mining town. Conditions and the environment here are simply not made for humans. And hence, we should not try to replace a dying industry by making a profit with other industries like tourism.” Interesting thoughts. I might get back to that 😊

Well, that was not too short, I guess 😊Have a nice Sunday.

Stay warm and cosy!

/ Fabi ❆⇞