A little arctic towns big transition
A Little
Arctic Town’s
Big Transition
Pursuing zero emissions in the
world’s northernmost settlement
Longyearbyen is an unlikely place for humanity to flourish. Located deep inside the Arctic Circle, in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, the world’s northernmost settlement is home not just to 2,400 people but also to polar bears that freely roam the land.
Longyearbyen is an unlikely place for humanity to flourish. Located deep inside the Arctic Circle, in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, the world’s northernmost settlement is home not just to 2,400 people but also to polar bears that freely roam the land.
The seasons swing from summer’s perpetual midnight sun to the round-the-clock darkness of winter’s polar nights when only the northern lights illuminate the sky. But the inhabitants of Longyearbyen — a community of conservationists, tour operators, miners, and researchers representing more than 50 countries — have always adapted to extremes.
Today, their adaptation continues. Longyearbyen is preparing to close its last coal mine and develop an energy storage system largely powered by renewable sources. But can this remote Arctic community turn the page on its coal mining past, and in doing so can it provide a blueprint for achieving zero emissions?
The seasons swing from summer’s perpetual midnight sun to the round-the-clock darkness of winter’s polar nights when only the northern lights illuminate the sky. But the inhabitants of Longyearbyen — a community of conservationists, tour operators, miners, and researchers representing more than 50 countries — have always adapted to extremes.
Today, their adaptation continues. Longyearbyen is preparing to close its last coal mine and develop an energy storage system that will soon be largely powered by renewable sources. But can this remote Arctic community turn the page on its coal mining past, and can it provide a blueprint for achieving zero emissions?
A Coal Town’s
Continued Evolution
Were it not for coal, Longyearbyen might not
exist. The town was
formed
as a coal miner settlement
in the early 20th century.
American businessman John Munro Longyear establishes Longyearbyen’s first coal mine.
The Store Norske coal company takes over the mining operations from Longyear’s Arctic Coal Company.
The German navy nearly destroys Longyearbyen. The town is rebuilt after World War II ends mining operations.
This former way station for transient workers has developed into a destination with a more diverse social fabric. Since the 1970s, when the town began to modernize, it has welcomed researchers, entrepreneurs, and artists — as well as 30,000 tourists each year — drawn to Longyearbyen’s rugged beauty and unique opportunities for adventure and discovery.
Norway takes control of Store Norske and
aims to modernize Longyearbyen and diversify its economy.
Bent Jakobsen, foreman of Mine 7, Longyearbyen’s last remaining coal mine.
Born in Longyearbyen, Jakobsen comes from a mining family. He worked his way up the ranks for nearly two decades until he became a foreman. Bent regularly works 12-hour shifts, sometimes in spaces so cramped he can only move on his hands and knees. As Norway prepares to close the mine, he says he hopes to be the last to leave, the one who puts the padlock on the doors.
Mine 3 closes, leaving Mine 7 as Longyearbyen’s last operational mine.
This former way station for transient workers has developed into a destination with a more diverse social fabric. Since the 1970s, when the town began to modernize, it has welcomed researchers, entrepreneurs, and artists — as well as 30,000 tourists each year — drawn to Longyearbyen’s rugged beauty and unique opportunities for adventure and discovery.
The Global Seed Vault, a repository holding copies of all the world’s seeds, opens in a former coal mine. It is kept cold by the permafrost.
A melting glacier floods Mine 7 the day after Longyearbyen records the European Arctic’s highest temperature in history (21.7 Celsius).
Norway announces it will close Mine 7 — the last functioning coal mine in Longyearbyen.
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In search
of Solutions
Longyearbyen is one of Earth’s
fastest-warming places.
Since 1991, Longyearbyen has warmed
1.7 degrees Celsius per decade —
seven times the global average and
twice the Arctic average over the
same timeframe.
7°
Since 1971,
the winter temperature in Longyearbyen has warmed 7 degrees Celsius per decade
21°
The highest temperature ever in the European Arctic, 21.7 degrees Celsius, was recorded in Longyearbyen on July 24, 2020
10%
Since 1979, the sea around the Svalbard archipelago has lost 10% of its winter sea ice per decade
40
billion
billion
From June 1 to July 31, 2022, Svalbard recorded record-breaking ice melt, as 40 billion tons of meltwater poured into the Atlantic Ocean
This rapid warming has had visible effects on the community. Some timber homes have rotted. Other homes have been relocated out of the way of avalanches. In search of new food sources, polar bears have more frequently wandered into town. Being at the frontline of climate change has spurred Longyearbyen’s local council to seek sustainable solutions before it’s too late.
While Norway has sought to build Longyearbyen into more than a mining site for decades, the transition to renewable energy is challenging its identity. It is also leaving its mining community to wonder what comes next, as the town’s last miners face a future without the only job many of them have ever known.
This rapid warming has had visible effects on the community. Some timber homes have rotted. Other homes have been relocated out of the way of avalanches. In search of new food sources, polar bears have more frequently wandered into town. Being at the frontline of climate change has spurred Longyearbyen’s local council to seek sustainable solutions before it’s too late.
While Norway has sought to build Longyearbyen into more than a mining site for decades, the transition to renewable energy is challenging its identity. It is also leaving its mining community to wonder what comes next, as the town’s last miners face a future without the only job many of them have ever known.
“Longyearbyen has
always been a
community of change,
and it will
continue to be
so. I think this is the
core
of our identity,
exploring the
possibilities in
the Arctic.”
Rev. Siv Limstrand,
pastor, Svalbard Church
The town’s pastor, Rev. Siv Limstrand , is helping miners and residents come to terms with social shifts in the community.The town’s pastor, Rev. Limstrand, has become the community’s guiding figure, helping miners and residents come to terms with social shifts and the effects of climate change. Always open, the church she leads offers a place for people of disparate backgrounds and beliefs to find common ground.
“The coal-mining company has had a strategy for helping the workers to re-educate or find other jobs. But when you do lose your job, I don’t think anyone actually feels heard,” says Rev. Siv Limstrand, parish priest of Svalbard Church, a place that serves as a community hub as much as a spiritual center.
One thing is certain: Longyearbyen’s future does not feature coal. The town’s jobs increasingly center on tourism and research, and the community’s make-up has evolved along with the economy.
“We all have to come to terms with the fact that coal is to be replaced with preferably renewable energy sources. Undoubtedly, there’s sorrow connected to the fact that what once was the reason for establishing the community will soon cease to exist,” adds Limstrand.
Audun and Mia Salte
Robert Johansen
Hilde Fålun Strøm
Steve Torgersen
bring visitors on adventures across the Arctic terrain with their dog-sledding operation, Svalbard Husky. The company is Eco Lighthouse-certified and they are currently building renewable energy solutions to power their dog yard.has pioneered circularity at Svalbard Bryggeri, the world’s northernmost brewery. It is powered by sustainable energy, some of which is produced by burning spent grains, and the excess provides heating and hot water for the town.is an explorer, polar ambassador, author, and citizen scientist. The co-founder of the social platform Hearts In the Ice, she has set out to highlight the changes occurring in the polar regions and make clear why they matter for the rest of the world.founded Svalbard Explorer in 2004 to take visitors on customized trips into the Arctic wilderness. He is also a chef and runs Gruvelageret, a restaurant which pays homage to Longyearbyen’s mining history.Social concerns aren’t the only challenge the town is facing. The local council has confronted several obstacles in the transition to zero emissions, from the extreme cold to new energy demands driving a need for coal. But new technology has given Longyearbyen a path forward.
Powering
the Future
Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, is contracted to build an energy storage system in Longyearbyen as the town takes its biggest step yet toward becoming a zero-carbon community. But challenges remain.
“There is no energy technology yet proven to work for high Arctic conditions,” says Jøran Moen, director of the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS).
He notes that temperatures can drop below -40 degrees Celsius in winter, requiring special equipment that can function in such harsh conditions. Snow drifting, a solar production period limited to half the year because of polar nights, icing, wind turbulence, and more, makes it difficult to harness renewable energy.
“In Longyearbyen, we’ve
had 100
years of hunting
and 100 years of
coal
mining. Maybe the next
100
years of our history
will be
knowledge-based.”
Jøran Moen, director of the
University Centre
At UNIS, Jøran Moen is spearheading research efforts to develop renewable energy solutions in high Arctic conditions.At UNIS, Moen is spearheading research efforts to develop renewable energy solutions in high Arctic conditions. He views the transition as a pivotal opportunity to leverage the research being pursued in Longyearbyen, leave a lasting mark on the world and develop a new identity for the community.
Moen and his colleagues at UNIS are working to produce Arctic-based data that others can learn from and develop renewable energy systems adapted to these unique conditions. In the meantime, Longyearbyen’s local council has initiated its transition from coal to diesel.
But the bridge to zero emissions is being built.
Right next to the coal-fired power plant, Saft is developing an energy storage system that will offer Longyearbyen a way to decarbonize steadily and securely.
“We are an off-grid site. That means we are not on Norway’s main power grid but rather rely on our own system. That presents many challenges, such as being sure we have a continual energy supply,” says Joachim Karlsen, project manager of energy conversion for Longyearbyen Council.
When finished, the lithium-ion system will occupy four containers, making it the largest in the Arctic. It will provide essential power capacity, quickly manage surges in demand, and stabilize the town’s grid.
“We aim to live up to
the UN’s
Sustainable
Development Goals in
Longyearbyen. By 2030,
we hope to shift
main
production to renewable
energy.
This battery is very important to
those goals.”
Joachim Karlsen, department manager
for
development & project, Svalbard Energi AS
Joachim is overseeing the installation of the energy storage system and has a large role to play in the town’s transition. He says the new system will benefit the town in many ways. For example, in the summer, it will allow the power plant to buy surplus power from customers who use solar panels.Joachim Karlsen is overseeing the installation of the energy storage system and has a large role to play in the town’s transition.
“When you have a microgrid as they do in Longyearbyen, you are very sensitive to energy demands. The batteries we are installing can provide power straightaway when there’s peak demand,” says Stanislas Bizard, project manager, Saft.
“It’s a very efficient solution — it’s almost ‘plug and play’ because we can install it quickly, even in the Arctic climate conditions.”
The system, which is currently undergoing testing, will also allow Longyearbyen leaders to integrate several forms of energy into its supply.
“It’s a very efficient solution — it’s almost ‘plug and play’ because we can install it quickly, even in the Arctic climate conditions.”
The system, which is currently undergoing testing, will also allow Longyearbyen leaders to integrate several forms of energy into its supply.
As the town phases out coal and later diesel, the battery can provide energy even if certain resources are unavailable. For example, when the sun disappears in winter for months, it can run on wind or geothermal energy instead of solar power.
“When it’s finished, perhaps we can be the first showcase for a high-tech environment with zero emissions in the Arctic,” says Moen.
“When it’s finished, perhaps we can be the first showcase for a high-tech environment with zero emissions in the Arctic,” says Moen.
Cutting out coal is a lofty ambition for
any community that relies on it. With its
energy storage system, ever-adaptable
Longyearbyen is well on its way to doing
just that. In the process, it could offer
a roadmap for renewable energy
solutions beyond the world’s most remote
and challenging places. After all, as Bizard
says, “If the technology works here, then
it will work anywhere.”
Mine 7, Longyearbyen’s last coal mine due to close.
2025
