Mine 7 Coal Mine
| This article is part of the Global Coal Mine Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor. |
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Mine 7 Coal Mine (Gruve 7) is an operating coal mine in Adventdalen, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Mine 7 Coal Mine | Adventdalen, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway[1][2] | 78.1568, 16.0231 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating[1] | – | 1966[3] | 2025[4] |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 0.12[5] | 2023[5] | Underground[1] | Bord and Pillar[1] | – | 494.0* | 468*[3] |
Table 4: Coal resources and destination
| Total Reserves (Mt) | Year of Total Reserves Recorded | Total Resources (Mt) | Coalfield | Coal Type | Coal Grade | Primary Consumer/ Destination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | – | Bituminous | Thermal & Met[1] | Longyearbyen Energiverk[3] |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani [100%][1] | Ministry of Trade and Industry [100.0%] | Norway |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROM | 0.13[6] | 0.15[6] | 0.11[7] | 0.07[6] | 0.12[6] | 0.12[6] | – |
Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker May 2025 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
Gruve 7 Coal Mine (also known as Mine 7) was an underground coal mine located in Adventdalen, Norway, approximately 15 kilometers southeast of Longyearbyen.[8] Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani owned and operated the mine.[9]
Until its closure in June 2025, it was the only Norwegian coal mine still in operation.[8][10]
The main purpose of Mine 7 was to provide coal supply to Longyear Energiverk, which was Norway's lone coal power plant until its closure in October 2023.[11] Every year, approximately 30,000 tonnes of the mine's coal produced electricity and heat for homes, commercial buildings, and businesses in Longyearbyen. Mine 7 also delivered around 80,000 tonnes of coal for the metallurgical and chemical industry in Europe.[8]
Closure
In September 2021, the Longyearbyen local council terminated its agreement with Store Norske to buy coal from Mine 7 from September 2023, and as such, Norway's last coal mine was tentatively scheduled for closure is autumn 2023 along with the local power plant it supplied.[12] However, in 2022, as a result of the war in Ukraine, the board decided to extend the mine's operation an additional two years in order to export coal for industrial production in Europe.[13]
As of June 30, 2025, Mine 7 has closed.[10] The occasion marks the end of Norway's 100-year coal mining tradition.[14]
Early rehabilitation work, including infrastructure dismantling and the removal of materials and waste, has begun at the mine site.[15]
Longyearbyen, Norway, plans to temporarily switch to diesel before a permanent, new renewable energy solution is in place.[12]
Coal Mine Boundaries and Methane Sources
Global Energy Monitor researchers have identified coal mine boundary/boundaries and potential sources of coal mine methane (CMM) for this mine. These research results can be used to drive CMM attribution and mitigation efforts, particularly when combined with remotely sensed methane plume locations and mine ownership data. Explore the results with the embedded map at the top of this page by clicking on the mine boundary polygon or the CMM placemarkers to reveal more details. A detailed description of this research can be found in Coal Mine Boundaries and Methane Sources. This data is also available as a downloadable companion dataset to the Global Coal Mine Tracker and the Global Methane Emitters Tracker.
Table SMP1: Coal mine boundaries and methane sources data
| ID | Mine feature category | Mine feature subcategory | Description | Coordinates precision | Data source date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1455.B1 | mine boundary | underground | Mine 7 coal mine boundary ("Gruve 7") | extracted | 2023-07-18 00:00:00 |
| M1455.P1 | other | slope access or production shaft | Slope access or production shaft | extracted | 2023-07-18 00:00:00 |
| M1455.P2 | other | mine entrance or exit | Possible mine entrance | extracted | 2023-07-18 00:00:00 |
Table SMP2: Coal mine boundaries and methane sources data (continued)
| ID | Notes |
|---|---|
| M1455.B1 | The underground mining area of Mine 7 ("Gruve 7") was identified in a map of mines in the Longyearbyen area (provided by the Norwegian Polar Institute: https://web.archive.org/save/https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c053c00ac0d045d0b15498f67d6dd3f0). The map was then used as an overlay in Google Earth Pro, and a boundary polygon was manually extracted to include both the underground mining area and aboveground coal processing and transportation infrastructure at the surface facility. |
| M1455.P1 | The location of this slope access and/or production shaft was extracted using visual analysis of Google Earth Pro satellite imagery. |
| M1455.P2 | The location of this slope access and/or production shaft was extracted using visual analysis of Google Earth Pro satellite imagery. A description and panoramic photograph of the mine's surface facility provided by Spitsbergen-Svalbard also indicates the location of the mine's entrance as behind "directly behind the red roller door" of the main surface facility entrace (https://web.archive.org/save/https://www.spitsbergen-svalbard.com/photos-panoramas-videos-and-webcams/spitsbergen-panoramas/mine-7.html see: Panorama 3: Surface facility). |
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 https://www.snsk.no/bergverk/gruve-7.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.mindat.org/loc-193472.html.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 (PDF) https://store-norske.ams3.digitaloceanspaces.com/publications/%C3%85rsrapport-2023-SNSK.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240121025022/https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/store-norske-spitsbergen-kulkompani-pa-svalbard-forlenger-produksjonen-av-industrikull-til-europa-fram-til-sommeren-2025/id2926294/. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://www-snsk-no.translate.goog/nyheter/6413/norges-siste-kullgruve-legges-ned-i-september-2023?_x_tr_sl=no&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc&_x_tr_hist=true.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 https://www.eia.gov/international/analysis/country/nor.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://pubs.usgs.gov/myb/vol3/2019/myb3-2019-norway.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Mining: Mine 7, Store Norske website, accessed October 2023.
- ↑ Lily Roberts, Melting Glacier Floods Arctic Coal Mine, Highlighting Climate Change Paradox, State of the Planet, Columbia Climate School, September 8, 2020
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Store Norske's mining operations officially ended", Store Norske website, 1 July 2025.
- ↑ "The End of Norway's Sole Norwegian-Owned Coal Power Plant", High North News, 18 October 2023.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Norway's last coal mine will be closed in September 2023", Store Norske press release, 29 September 2021.
- ↑ "Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani forlenger produksjonen av industrikull til Europa fram til sommeren 2025", Norway Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, 2 September 2022.
- ↑ "Svalbard: The End of the Last Norwegian Coal Mine", High Country News, 17 June 2025.
- ↑ "Mine 7 changed activity and safety measures in the area", Store Norske website, 15 August 2025.
