Svalbard, Norway

Background

• Northernmost territory in the world
• 60% glaciers
• 40% tundra
• 5 main islands (largest is Spitzbergen)
• Population of 2700
• More snowmobiles than people

Opportunities

• Coal mining
  • 300 jobs in coal mines
  • Backbone of economy
• Energy devlopment
  • Located near Mid-Atlantic Ridge - thin & hot rocks
  • Potential for geothermal energy to replace polluting coal power station
  • Or replace water in power station with CO₂
• Fishing
  • Barents Sea (South of Svalbard) is one of the richest fishing grounds in the world
  • 150 species of fish - conservation is vital
• Tourism
  • 70,000 people visited Longyearbyen in 2011
  • Port was expanded to cope with tourist numbers
  • 300 jobs in tourism
  • Northen lights, natural environment and adventures attract tourists

Challenges

• Extreme temperatures
  • Sometimes below -30°C
  • But wear warm clothes
• Construction
  • Permafrost has to be protected from melting before foundations can be dug
  • Difficult to build in the cold and the long dark periods - so most work is done in the summer
  • However, road maintenance is relatively easy
• Services
  • Pipes and cables must be kept off the ground, to ensure they don’t freeze
• Accessibility
  • Limited transport
  • Islands can only be accessed by plane or ship
  • Only 50 km of roads in Longyearbyen
  • But there is an international airport
  • And snowmobiles can be used to travel around