Background
The decommissioning and nature restoration of the areas affected by Store Norske's mining facilities in Svea and Lunckefjell was decided by the Norwegian Stortinget in the state budget for 2018 (Prop. 1 S 2017-2018), and the project was named "Environmental initiative Svea and Lunckefjell".
Coalmining in Svea has taken place through several operating periods since it was first established in 1910, and since then approx. 32 million metric tons of coal has been shipped out in total. The first mine was founded by the Swedish company “Jernkontoret and Trafikaktiebolaget Grängesberg-Oxelösund”, and later transferred to “Aktiebolaget Spetsbergens Svenska Kolfält” in 1916. A couple of decades later, Store Norske bought Sveagruva from the Swedish state in 1934 for NOK 1 million. Many traces and objects remain from the Swedish mining operations from approx. 1915-1926, as well as from the Norwegian mining operations from 1935 until the cessation of operations in 2016. All historical traces and objects from before 1946 are defined as automatically protected cultural heritage by law, cf. "Act on Environmental Protection in Svalbard/Svalbard Environment Act" (sml) § 39. In the Stortinget resolution (Prop. 1S. 2017-2018) it was stated that the protected cultural heritage objects should not be degraded during the decommissioning, and this was later (14 November 2017) clarified by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
The overarching environmental goals of the decommissioning, which were partly defined by the Stortinget resolution and partly by the sml (§ 64), can be summarized in the following points:
- After restoration, the landscape should essentially appear as wilderness.
- Landscapes affected by mining must not visually differ from the surrounding landscape.
- With the exception of protected cultural heritage objects, including 4 buildings (with associated alteration permits), no infrastructure or waste shall be left in the area.
- Hydrology must be restored to a natural state.
- There must be no danger of erosion or changes that reveal interventions in the long term (< 200 years).
- Ecological processes must not be affected.
- Geological processes must not be affected.
- The project should contribute to increased knowledge about nature restoration initiatives and collect experience that can be used in future projects.
Svea is remotely located in the Van Mijenfjord on Svalbard, approx. 50 km from Longyearbyen. The mining village was only accessible by smaller passenger aircraft, helicopter, snowmobiles (on frozen and snow-covered ground) and/or boat when the Van Mijenfjord is ice-free. The central area of Svea was located at the foot of Liljevalchfjellet, while the quay facilities were built on Damesmorenen at Cape Amsterdam approx. 5 km southwest of the central area. The landscape in and around Svea, including the moraine complex with associated deposits and landforms, has great value on an international level. Thorough assessments have therefore been made on how the restoration of the landscape to its original appearance should be carried out, and how this should be balanced against the removal of pollutions and waste and/or avoiding damage to the protected cultural heritage objects.
If you superimpose the map of the construction area in Svea over a map of Oslo, it will cover most of the area within beltway 3. More than 100 buildings (42,000 m2), 27 km of roads, miles of tunnels and mine passages, an airport, two quay facilities, several power stations and a significant number of other installations have now been demolished and removed. In addition, roughly 2 million cubic meters of soil masses have been excavated, transported, rounded and adapted to the terrain. The mountain sides with mine and tunnel entrances have been filled up with masses from roads and storage flats, and all roads, embankments and storage flats have been removed down to the original underlying ground. All waste and pollution that posed an unacceptable future risk has been removed and transported to an approved landfill on the mainland.
Project phasing
Environmental initiative Svea and Lunckefjell is one of the most ambitious nature restoration projects ever to be undertaken, and its prerequisites make it unique in a global context. To ensure progression, Store Norske divided the work into three separate phases: Phase 1 "Lunckefjell", Phase 2A " Svea Nord" and Phase 2B " Central Svea". Three individual and detailed decommissioning plans were developed, and a total of four independent tenders were announced. Each sub-area was systematically reviewed in the decommissioning plans, including thorough status descriptions, defined objectives, recommended measures that should be carried out, and descriptions of the expected results. For some areas (i.e. on the glacier “Marthabreen”) there was a goal of complete restoration assessed against the areas original condition, whilst for the central area there was a goal that also considered the interactions between the restored landscape elements, natural elements (flora and fauna) and the protected cultural heritage elements left behind.
The Governor of Svalbard (SMS) provided detailed feedback on the decommissioning plans, including claims and guides on what measures should be carried out and result expectations. The assessments of how the area should be restored, and which claims, guides and exceptions were given, were made considering the sml, with the purpose of the law in focus. The implementation of Phase 1 started in March 2019, and this initial phase was completed in autumn 2020. Phase 2A lasted from spring 2020 until October 2021, while construction work in Phase 2B started in spring 2021 and lasted until September 2023. After completion, Store Norske have prepared an independent report for each of the phases. Together, these represent comprehensive documentation and qualitative assessments of the consideration and planning stages, the work that has been carried out, and the results that have been achieved. The ambition of these thorough reports is that the experience gained in the project also will benefit future environmental projects.
Results
After more than 100 years of industrial activity in Svea, the entire area that was affected by mining has now been restored, and the landscape has been returned to a wilderness-like state with some remaining cultural elements. The project has been one of high complexity, with many interdisciplinary interfaces. The scope and character of the project has necessitated high requirements for professionalism on the part of everyone involved. The project has been subject to very strict environmental requirements from the authorities, and it has taken place in an extreme and vulnerable arctic environment on Svalbard, with demanding logistic options.
The overall goals for the decomissioning were described in the operating license, laws and legislations, but there were no guidelines for how the goals were to be achieved or how goal achievement was to be evaluated. Interpretation of the phrase; "the area shall, as far as possible, be returned to its original appearance" in sml § 64 has been central to the restoration work. In cases where such an objective has been unattainable, or for other reasons not defined as expedient, Store Norske has applied for an exemption from the law. The intentions in the sml have been interpreted such as the restoration should be carried out in a way that ensures that natural processes are able to function once again. The measures have therefore aimed to facilitate such natural processes, and this will affect the geo- and ecosystems over time. Natural processes are thus essential in shaping a future natural landscape that has character and functions as similar as possible to the untouched, surrounding landscape. Focus on the natural processes has also helped to zoom out and scale the project in both time and space. During the restoration of such a large area it is essential to be able to see the big picture, while simultaneously focusing on the necessary details - all the way down to protecting single individuals of flora (zoom in).
After completion of the project, it is now difficult to imagine what Svea looked like during full operation, and during the final inspections by SMS it was concluded that the whole area is generally very well restored. The reconstructed landscape blends nicely into the surrounding natural landscape, both in form, colors and function. Excavated masses have been relocated, adopted and rounded so that both moraine surfaces and mountain sides appear largely unaffected. The contractor developed an excellent methodology along the way to ruffle the terrain so that the surfaces do not appear artificial. It is still possible to see where some of the interventions have been made, but the broad professional opinion is that natural processes will erase these remaining traces over time. Major effects of such natural processes can already be seen in some sub-areas, much earlier than expected. A rain flood in the creek “Gruvebekken” in August 2023 washed through much of the central area, and it is now more or less impossible to demonstrate where the various buildings, roads and all other infrastructure elements were placed in this area. Slush avalanches, landslides and rain floods in the mountainsides where the gravel pits "Jomfrua" and "Fraggleberget" were located has similarly erased remaining traces of the restoration works. The masses that have been excavated and shaped into a nature-like terrain on the large, flat airport area and coal storage area (“Østplanet”) appear to be more in harmony with the surroundings already after the natural processes during one single winter season. This is mainly due to the washing away of black silt/coal dust, which has a major positive effect on the visual impression left by the implemented measures. There are many such natural and geological processes which will now contribute to gradually erase the remaining traces (rock falls, slush avalanches, mudslides, floods, rainfalls, tidal zone processes and more). Some of these processes will most likely be intensified due to climate change, and the possible future effects of climate change have thus been considered.
One of the main goals has been to take care of the automatically protected cultural heritage objects and recreate parts of the cultural landscape from 1946-1949, while simultaneously restoring the surrounding natural areas. There are now four automatically protected and restored buildings in Svea that, along with the remaining cultural heritage items on the ground, will provide the area with historical legibility for posterity. These buildings are the “Saloonen”, the “Vinboden”, the “Hundegården” and the “Trafotårnet”. The restored water surface of Lake “Susesjøen” is an important landscape element that enhances the overall cultural-historical impression.
Store Norske's qualitative assessments of project implementation are based on a division into a total of 30 different subareas or themes, based on defined criteria in the tender documents. The quality of the restoration work has been evaluated against predefined goals and available photographic documentation of the "original” situation, and there are various sets of assumptions and expectations that influence the assessments of the results achieved in each area/theme. Delivered quality has been assessed for each theme/area independently, applying to both the planning and implementation phases.
The assessment criteria include timeliness, technical quality (in relation to the defined expectations in the tender documents), visual quality (in part assessed against available photographic documentation of the untouched "original” situation), documentation, frequency of deviations, and the quality of implemented measures. In addition to qualitative assessments, scaled evaluations of target achievement related to design, financial management, health and safety/environmental management, and construction time/progress have also been conducted for each theme or subarea. The evaluations are based on a four-part scale:
4: Very satisfactory,
3: Satisfactory,
2: Somewhat satisfactory,
1: Not satisfactory.
The overall achievement is assessed as satisfactory to very satisfactory, with an average rating of the qualitative evaluations for all phases and all subareas/themes being 3.3 (out of 4). The project was completed both faster and at a cost approximately NOK 900 million lower than originally budgeted, without compromising the quality achieved. During project implementation, HSE (Health, Environment and Safety) were prioritized over quality, finances, and progress. One serious personal injury occurred during the demolition of the coal dock facilities, which negatively affects the assessment.
An example to be followed
There is growing awareness that preserving the remaining nature is not enough, and that measures are also needed to repair nature that has already been affected or damaged by human activities. Today, vast areas of land worldwide are degraded and partially destroyed by human influence each year, and according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), only 28 percent of the world's ice-free land area can be considered minimally affected by human activity.
The UN has designated 2021-2030 as the decade for ecosystem restoration, aiming to boost efforts to restore degraded and destroyed ecosystems as a measure to combat the climate crisis, and strengthen food security, water supply and biodiversity. The environmental initiative at Svea and Lunckefjell represents an important contribution to international efforts to restore human-impacted areas. The project also serves as an international example that it is entirely possible to establish industrial operations in an untouched area to utilize a resource, and then clean up after the operations conclude. If the industrial establishment in Svea had been originally planned with this prerequisite, the cleanup work would have had much more predictable parameters, and the project would have had significantly lower complexity (and cost).
The results achieved in the project are nevertheless considered to be excellent, and large parts of the restored areas are already included in the recently established Van Mijenfjorden National Park. During the formal inspection after the construction works had been completed in September 2023, the Minister of Climate and the Environment, Espen Barth Eide stated that; "This is an incredibly fascinating project. Here, we have returned the entire area to its original state. It reminds us that we cannot create more nature, but we can recreate what was." Martine Løvold, special adviser and project manager at the SMS, added to this: "This project has provided Norway with important experience when it comes to other nature restoration projects in the future. It is no longer enough to protect nature; we must also restore nature in many places. The work done in Svea is also an important contribution to the UN's nature restoration decade and the new global nature agreement. I am extremely proud to have been part of this project".
The project will have a significant positive impact on the vulnerable ecosystems in Van Mijenfjorden, and apart from the remaining cultural heritage objects, the area now appears more or less as unaffected. The project can be linked to the UN's sustainability goals #12, #14 and #15. To reach the UN's sustainability goals on a national level, Norway must increase its efforts to restore damaged ecosystems and prevent further destruction of nature. The implementation of Environmental Initiative Svea and Lunckefjell has resulted in many useful experiences that will benefit future environmental projects and decommissioning projects.
A comprehensive and long-term environmental monitoring program has been established by Store Norske, who is also obligated to operate this for the next 20 years. The main purpose of monitoring the landscape and natural environment in Svea after project completion is to document that the environmental goals for the decommissioning have been achieved. The experiences gained will be of great value and benefit in other contexts. There are no known examples of a monitoring program with transferable complexity. The interdisciplinary scope, the geographical distribution, the arctic conditions and the logistical challenges are all unique in its character. Effects of climate changes in the perspective up to the year 2100 were part of the assessments that formed the basis for both the planning process and the implementation of the project. Increased temperatures, increased rainfall, a milder winter and melting of permafrost will make the nature on Svalbard even more dynamic, and likely also lead to accelerated erosion processes. Measures during the restoration process were adapted to account for the probable consequences of modified, climate-sensitive, natural processes. The Norwegian Polar Institute has published a series of reports on climate development in northern Norway and on Svalbard in the period from 1900 to 2100 (Norwegian Polar Institute, 2009), and in 2016 the Norwegian Center for Climate Services (NCCS) published its "Brief overview of climate change and consequences on Svalbard ». Together with climate modeling for Svalbard ("Climate in Svalbard 2100", NCCS 2019) and a ROS analysis (risk and vulnerability analysis) carried out by the SMS in 2016, these reports form the basis for how the possible impacts of climate change were considered during the decommissioning process.
Success criteria
Large areas of land have been restored, and the central area of Svea has been returned to a cultural landscape reflecting the 1940s. Natural processes such as erosion, floods, avalanches and landslides will assist in wiping out the remaining traces of human interventions. To ensure an agreed understanding of what is a realistic level of expectation within each individual sub-area, there has been daily dialogue between the project management, contractors, affiliated experts and SMS during the entire implementation phase. Before handover of the various areas, onsite inspections and documentation were carried out with representatives from Store Norske and SMS. In this way, the target achievement in the individual sub-areas could be discussed and validated before machines and equipment were withdrawn from the area. However, SMS has not issued any formal approval for the sub-areas along the way, and the formal authority approval will not be given until after the formal handover of the whole area (all phases of the project). The many onsite inspections and the direct dialogue between all parties have nevertheless been important to clarify the levels of expectations and reduce the uncertainties for the various elements of the project. The end of project reports for each of the three phases will form the basis for a formal governmental approval of the project execution.
The planning and implementation of the environmental initiative has provided a significant learning outcome for all parties involved. It has been a step-by-step maturation process, and the project phasing made it possible to implement important learning points along the way. Store Norske would like to highlight the close, open and very constructive collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries (company owner), the people at the Governor of Svalbard, the Norwegian Environment Agency, the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, the affiliated experts and all hired contractors as the most important success criterion. The decommissioning plans for all phases were based on a few central principles that were drawn up in consultation with SMS and the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (NINA), and these principles have served as a unifying platform in all interdisciplinary discussions. The direct lines of communication and the onsite presence have resulted in accelerated clarifications of all the various issues that have arisen during the implementation phase. Professional challenges and conflicts of interest have been resolved without affecting progress. Learnings along the way and experience-based assessments from the contractors have been very useful, and their solution-focused approach, their skilled project managers and machine operators have been central to the results achieved. Discussions and ongoing dialogue between the contractors and client regarding the HSE work also helped to increase awareness of preventive safety measures, onsite behavior and the reporting culture in the project.
At the end of the project, Martine Løvold (SMS) stated that; "The model we chose early on for the project, both internally and for the collaboration with Store Norske, has been decisive for the outcome of this enormous work. Norway's largest nature restoration project ever has been ongoing for six years, and throughout there has been close dialogue, no secrets, and accelerated decision-making processes. The Svalbard Environment Act only provides a minimum of guidelines for such work, and the fact that we agreed that if we were to reach our goal on time and within budget, we had to work closely together from day one. This meant that the environmental authorities also participated in the work on the plan itself and in the ongoing discussions about solutions, and there were regular meetings and inspections with the project management at Store Norske".
The project manager in Store Norske, Gudmund Løvli, has also emphasized the collaboration: "Early on we established a clear and common understanding of realistic project goals in cooperation with the relevant authorities, and we ensured that this was embedded with the contractors. This ensured a common direction for all involved, and focused efforts”.
International attention
Environmental initiative Svea and Lunckefjell receive a lot of attention, both nationally and internationally. Below is a link to a selection of the many different publications about the project:
Her sto en hel gruveby i 100 år - VG
Opprydding av Sveagruva på Svalbard er ferdig – NRK Troms og Finnmark
Kullgruven som forsvant – Energi og Klima
Auslaufmodell fossiler Brennstoff: Beinahe das Ende der Kohle auf Spitzbergen | tagesschau.de
Se de spektakulære bildene: De aller siste har forlatt Svea-gruva på Svalbard (highnorthnews.com)
Snart kan du oppleve gruvedriften i Svea på Svalbard – i en enorm digital 3D-versjon (forskning.no)
Abels bakgård - Å rydde et gruvesamfunn - Abels tårn - NRK Radio
Store Norske filmer: https://www.snsk.no/aktuelt/video
Gruvebyen Svea på Svalbard overlatt til naturen – NRK Troms og Finnmark
Et utvisket gruvesamfunn (tv2.no)
In addition, YLE (Finland's state public broadcaster) has been in Svea to make a TV documentary, which will constitute an episode in a Nordic series on nature restoration projects. The episode is financed with funds from NRK, DR (Denmark’s Radio and YLE). Planned publication is in 2025.