Sveagruva

Sveagruva
Sveagruva
Location of Sveagruva and Svalbard
Coordinates: 77°54′00″N 16°43′50″E / 77.90000°N 16.73056°E / 77.90000; 16.73056Coordinates: 77°54′00″N 16°43′50″E / 77.90000°N 16.73056°E / 77.90000; 16.73056
Country  Norway
Region Svalbard
Founded 1917
Population (2007)
 • Total 300 (commuting)

Sveagruva (meaning Swedish Mine), or simply Svea, is a mining settlement in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, lying at the head of Van Mijenfjord. It is the third largest settlement in the archipelago (after Longyearbyen and Barentsburg). Currently, around 300 workers living in Longyearbyen commute to Sveagruva for work on a daily or weekly basis. Sveagruva has no permanent inhabitants. The mine is operated by Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani and is served by Svea Airport.

History

The town was established in 1917 by Swedes.[1] It was thereafter destroyed in 1944, but quickly re-established after World War II. The mining activity ceased in 1949, and was not re-established until 1970. Mining was suspended for a short period in 1987. In the 1990s, the town nearly vanished, as mines in Longyearbyen proved more productive and accessible. In 2005, a mine fire erupted, lasting uninterrupted for more than five weeks, and causing 700 million Norwegian kroner worth of damage.

Today, Sveagruva holds the most productive coal mine of Svalbard, the Svea Nord longwall mine. Opened in 2001, the mine produces up to 4 million metric tons of coal annually,[2] making it one of the largest underground coal mines in Europe.

Weather and Climate

Climate data for Sveagruva
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −13
(9)		 −13
(9)		 −13
(9)		 −9
(16)		 −3
(27)		 3
(37)		 7
(45)		 6
(43)		 2
(36)		 −4
(25)		 −8
(18)		 −11
(12)		 −3
(27)
Daily mean °C (°F) −16.5
(2.3)		 −17
(1)		 −16.5
(2.3)		 −12.5
(9.5)		 −5
(23)		 1
(34)		 5
(41)		 4
(39)		 −0.5
(31.1)		 −6.5
(20.3)		 −11
(12)		 −14.5
(5.9)		 −6
(21)
Average low °C (°F) −20
(−4)		 −21
(−6)		 −20
(−4)		 −16
(3)		 −7
(19)		 −1
(30)		 3
(37)		 2
(36)		 −3
(27)		 −9
(16)		 −14
(7)		 −18
(0)		 −9.5
(14.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 22
(0.87)		 28
(1.1)		 29
(1.14)		 16
(0.63)		 13
(0.51)		 18
(0.71)		 24
(0.94)		 30
(1.18)		 25
(0.98)		 19
(0.75)		 22
(0.87)		 25
(0.98)		 271
(10.67)
Source: Sveagruva Climate Guide[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Svea Nord". Archived from the original on 2012-03-15.
  2. ↑ "Important dates in Store Norske's history". Archived from the original on 2016-01-29.
  3. ↑ "Sveagruva Climate Guide, Svalbard". Weather2Travel.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.