Norway a Supplement to Mining Journal

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mining-journal.com Norway A supplement to Mining Journal

COVER_Norway_2015.indd 1 02/02/2015 14:15 NORWAY Norway: a land of opportunities!

orway is rich in natural resources. The mineral industry provides raw Fast facts: Norway materials for the manufacturing in- N 2 dustry, it contributes to value creation and Total area: 385,178km , including Jan Mayen and the Svalbard archipelago. employment opportunities across Norway, Neighbours: Finland (736km land boundary), Sweden (1,630km), Russia (196km) and it generates export revenues. Needless Population: 5.14 million (July 2014) to say, the mineral industry is an important Main towns: Oslo (624,000), Bergen (268,000), Trondheim (180,000) (01.01.13) sector and a priority for the Norwegian Languages: Norwegian and Sami: a large part of the population is fluent in English. govern ment. Independence: June 7, 1905 (Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved). There is a need for new mineral extraction Government: Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The governing to contribute to national and international coalition comprises ministerial posts held by the Conservative Party and Progress Party. demand for minerals. Good geophysical data The Prime Minister is Erna Solberg (Conservative Party) is a key component in assessing the mineral Currency: Norwegian kroner (NK) 100 kroner = €11.25 = US$13.09 (19.01.15) resource potential. The coverage of high- GDP: US$512.6 billion (nominal value, World Bank 2013) – 25th place quality geophysical data for both northern GDP per capita: US$100,819 (World Bank 2010-14) – 1st place and southern parts of Norway has increased Unemployment rate: 3.5 % (February 2014) with mapping programmes. Average life expectancy: Female: 83.4 years; male: 79.4 years Our long-term goal is to steadily increase Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, fish, timber, hydro-electric power, iron, copper, the national coverage of the basic geophysi- lead, zinc, titanium minerals, natural stone, dolomite, marble, graphite cal, geological and geochemical data, which Coastline: 28,953km (includes mainland 2,532km, as well as long fjords and minor are fundamental to the exploration for min- indentations), islands – 71,963km. eral deposits. Terrain: Glaciated, mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys, Norway is a major supplier to the European small, scattered plains, coastline deeply indented by fjords, Arctic tundra in the north. Crosshead and world markets of a range of industrial Elevation extremes: Highest point – Galdhøpiggen 2,469m. minerals: titanium ‘white’ pigment; calcium (Main source: Statistics Norway - http://www.ssb.no/ , Statistical Yearbook for 2013) carbonate slurry, for use in paper and other applications; olivine; graphite; It is our goal to ensure business diversity by and high-purity quartz, which is used for strengthening the competitiveness of the a range of high-technological applications. Norwegian mineral industry. Among many new projects currently In our government declaration, we have being developed, raw materials have been stated that we want to facilitate growth in assessed as critical in a recent review made the sector by ensuring predictable and by the EU. know ledge-based planning processes. It is When it comes to further developing the important for the government to ensure a mineral industry, Norway has many advan- stable business framework for this energy- tages: a varied, well-exposed geology; a long intensive industry, and promote growth and coastline; a technologically sophisticated long-term value creation. society; and good infrastructure, including We look forward to welcoming you to ready access to hydro-electrical power. Norway! Norway is also business-friendly, and was rated as sixth in the 2015 World Bank ‘Ease of Monica Mæland doing business’ ranking. Minister of Trade and Industry Photo: Hans Jørgen Brun

Editorial This supplement is published with Mining Journal, published Richard Roberts E [email protected] T +44 (0)20 7216 6089 weekly, which is available only as part of a subscription with Contents Head of production / designer Tim Peters Mining Magazine, plus online and tablet access. Senior sub editor Jim Adlam Sub editor Woody Phillips Annual subscription – UK: UK: £489.00 excl. VAT (digital and This is Norway 3 Editorial enquiries T +44 (0)20 7216 6060 F +44 (0)20 7216 6050 www.mining-journal.com print); £399.99 excl. VAT (digital) – Europe: €586.80 excl. VAT (digital and print); €480 excl. VAT (digital) – Australia: Production and potential 4 Advertising production Sharon Evans E [email protected] A$904.55 (digital and print); A$739.99 (digital) – Rest of the The Directorate of Mining – the Minerals Act and its Implementation 9 world: US$757.95 (digital and print); US$620 (digital) Norsk Bergindustri – the Norwegian Mineral Industry 10 Advertising For Mining Magazine subscriptions, please contact Kodal Minerals – phosphate project in South Norway 11 Sales director +44 (0)20 7216 6048 E [email protected] REE and thorium potential of the Fen Carbonatite Complex 12 Contact: Richard Dolan Published by Aspermont Media, 4th floor, Vintners Place, 68 LNS mining and construction operations – from Pole to Pole 13 Aspermont Media, 4th floor, Vintners Place, 68 Upper Thames Street, Upper Thames Street, London, EC4V 3BJ. Printed by Stephens London, EC4V 3BJ, UK & George Magazines, Merthyr Tydfil, UK. The Engebø rutile project: T +44 (0)20 7216 6060 F +44 (0)20 7216 6050 Strengthening Norway’s mineral industry 14 Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. E [email protected] Nussir – Norway’s next copper mine? 15 Subscription records are maintained at Aspermont Media Ltd, Store Norske – 100 years in the Arctic 16 Sales managers – supplements Chancery Exchange, 10 Furnival Street, London, EC4A 1YH, UK Omya Hustadmarmor AS in Norway 17 Alex Charnaud Naomi Spence Aspermont Media, publisher and owner of Mining Journal (‘the publisher’) and T +44 (0)20 7216 6068 T +44 (0)20 7216 6095 each of its directors, officers, employees, advisers and agents and related Norway’s metal production 18 entities do not make any warranty whatsoever as to the accuracy or reliability E [email protected] E [email protected] of any information, estimates, opinions, conclusions or recommendations Tschudi Shipping – logistics in the Arctic 19 contained in this publication and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, Geological Survey: Services for industry 20 the publisher disclaims all liability and responsibility for any direct or indirect Subscriptions and circulation enquiries loss or damage which may be suffered by any person or entity through relying Contact information 20 Max Irwin T +44 (0)20 7216 6048 E [email protected] on anything contained in, or omitted from, this publication whether as a result Or, E [email protected] of negligence on the part of the publisher or not. Reliance should not be placed Cover (main photo): Nordic Mining preparing for drilling in the Reinfjord on the contents of this magazine in making Aspermont Media Ltd, 4th floor, Vintners Place, intrusion, Finnmark county; Bottom left: Grubse olivine quarry (Sibelco); a commercial or other decision and all 68 Upper Thames Street, London, EC4V 3BJ, UK persons are advised to seek independent Media Bottom right: Hammerfall dolomite mine (Omya) professional advice in this regard. Photos: Nordic Mining; S. E. Hansen; Omya Publisher Robin Booth Chairman Andrew Kent © Aspermont Media 2015 ISSN 0026-5225

2 Mining Journal special publication – Norway February 2015

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 2 04/02/2015 15:56 NORWAY This is Norway

orway occupies the western part of Some famous the Scandinavian Peninsula in Norwegians Nnorthern Europe: the island of Jan Mayen in the mid-Atlantic and the Arctic Roald Amundsen, archi pelago of Svalbard are also in Norwe- Fridtjof Nansen and gian territory. The country shares a long bor- Thor Heyerdahl der to the east with Sweden; its northern- explorers most region is bordered by Finland to the south and Russia to the east. Roald Amundsen Norway has experienced rapid economic growth in the past 60 years, particularly as a result of the large oil and gas deposits discovered in the late 1960s. Today it ranks among the wealthiest countries in the world. Norway is the world’s 11th-largest oil exporter; the petroleum industry accounts for more than a Edvard Grieg fifth of its GDP, and the country saves almost composer all state revenue from the petroleum sector in a sovereign wealth fund. Edvard Norway also has rich resources of gas, min- Grieg erals, hydropower, fish and timber. The Nor- wegian mineral and mining industry had a turnover of NK13 billion in 2013, and exported products valued at NK7.6 billion. The mineral and mining industry is of great significance in outlying regions. It had, in 2013, 6,200 employees at 1,169 producing quarries or mines operated by 865 compa- Edvard Munch nies. artist “The Norwegian mineral Henrik Ibsen and mining industry had a playwright turnover of NK13 billion in Gro Harlem Brundtland 2013, and exported products stateswoman valued at NK7.6 billion” Grete Waitz long-distance runner Norway, with a population of about five million, maintains a Scandinavian welfare Magnus Carlsen model with universal healthcare, subsidised the current World Chess higher education and a comprehensive social Champion security system. The government controls most of the key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector, through large-scale, state-major- ity-owned enterprises. Although having rejected EU membership in two referendums, Norway makes significant contributions to the EU budget as a member of the European Magnus Economic Area. Carlsen A unitary state with administrative sub- divisions on two levels known as counties and municipalities, Norway is a constitu- south, over 1,700km to a wild, untamed Norway is a founding member of the UN, tional, hereditary monarchy and parliamen- meeting between land and sea in the north. NATO, the Council of Europe and the Nordic tary democracy, with King Harald V as its Life in the capital, Oslo, and in a fishing vil- Council, and is a member of the European Head of State. The Sámi people have a certain lage in the Arctic, are two different worlds. Economic Area, the WTO and the OECD. Inno- amount of self-determination and influence Norway is known for spectacular nature – its vation Norway is the Norwegian govern- over traditional territories through the Sámi fjords, mountains, the midnight sun and the ment’s instrument for innovation and Parliament and the Finnmark Act. aurora borealis: much of the country (includ- development of Norwegian enterprises and Norway is a long country, extending from ing Svalbard) is easily accessible by regular industry, and the official trade representative an idyllic, rocky coast with skerries in the airline routes. abroad.

For more information on Innovation Norway, visit: www.innovasjonnorge.no/no/english/#.VK5wKSvF-t8

February 2015 Mining Journal special publication – Norway 3

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 3 02/02/2015 14:51 NORWAY Production and potential

he geology of mainland Norway is dominated by the Caledonide Oro- Tgen, extending over 1,500km from Bergen in the southwest to the northern most part of the country. Within the Caledonides there are windows of mainly Mesoproterozoic rocks, pre- dominantly granitoids, but also including supracrustal sequences. Archaean and Palaeo proterozoic rocks of the Fenno- scandian Shield are exposed west of the Cale- donides in north Norway and southeast of the Caledonides along the border with Fin- land and Russia. Southeastern Norway is dominated by Mesoproterozoic rocks and by the Oslo Gra- ben, which contains volcanic and intrusive complexes spanning the period from Late Carboniferous to Early Triassic, emplaced into Cambro-Silurian sediments. There are almost

no exposures on land of the Mesozoic and H. SchiellerupPhoto: Tertiary sequences found on the continental Kronos Titan Tellenes mine, source of ca. 7% of global ilmenite production shelf. Norway’s landscape has been sculpted by deep tropical weathering, probably of duction in 2014 has been at a rate of 2.4Mt/y around 30% ilmenite and possible reserves of

Mesozoic age, in structurally defined zones, concentrate (68.5% Fe and <4.5% SiO2). The 375Mt. The ore contains a small percentage with major uplift in the Tertiary followed by dramatic fall in iron-ore prices has had a seri- of nickel-bearing sulphides which yield glaciation and much direct evidence of neo- ous impact on the operation: among the around 8,000t/y of nickel concentrate. Pro- tectonic activity. strategies adopted are maintenance of the duction of ilmenite concentrate in 2013 was Svalbard, halfway between mainland Nor- aim to double production by 2020 and reduc- 826,126t, of which 55.6% was exported. Tita- way and the North Pole, lies between 74°N tions in wages for all staff. nium pigment is produced at another Kronos and 81°N. Its geology includes Lower Tertiary The deposits north of Mo i Rana were plant, at Fredrikstad, southeast of Oslo and coal seams which have been mined for over known in the 18th century and were first titanium slag and pig iron at the Eramet plant 100 years. The Svalbard Treaty, signed in mined from 1902. The orebody being mined at Tyssedal in southwest Norway, a plant 1920 by 14 countries, granted Norway sover- currently was stated in 2011 to contain a which the company states is unique in Europe eignty of the archipelago but gave the right resource of 350Mt containing 41% haematite and one of only five of its kind in the world. to own property, including mineral rights, to and 6% magnetite. Total resources in the nationals of all the signatory countries: over concession area have been stated to be 40 countries have now signed the treaty. 600Mt. Rana Gruber is a subsidiary of Industrial mineral deposits in Leonhard Nilsen & Sons (see p13). Annual pro- production duction is currently 1Mt of haematite con- Metal deposits in production centrate and 100,000t of magnetite Carbonates concentrate as well as a range of speciality Some 6.4Mt of various calcite and dolomite Iron ore products including pigments: total produc- products were produced in 2013, based on Important iron-ore deposits occur in: tion in 2013 was 1.45Mt. Rana Gruber has also 17 mining operations in a spectrum of car- 1) The Archaean banded iron formations felt the impact of the fall in iron-ore prices, in bonate types, ranging from non-metamor- in Sør-Varanger, near the border with this case leading to a reduction in manpower. phic limestone to high-grade metamorphic Russia; and On November 18, 2014 the company calcite marbles and dolomites formed during 2) The Neoproterozoic sedimentary announced an agreement with Tata Steel for the Caledonian orogeny. sequences in the Caledonide Orogen, the delivery of 6Mt of concentrate in the Resources are large in many of these oper- especially those north of Mo i Rana. period 2015-20. ations: an additional five deposits of limestone and calcite marble and eight of The Sør-Varanger ores, discovered in 1866, Titanium minerals dolomite have been documented. were mined from 1907 to 1996 and from Norway and Ukraine are the only Ti mineral- Ground calcite carbonate (GCC, calcite 2009 by a Norwegian-Australian Company, producing countries in Europe. The only slurry) is produced at the Omya Hustadmar- Northern Iron Ltd. Total remaining resources deposit presently in production in Norway, mor processing plant at Elnesvågen on the and reserves as of January 1, 2014, are mined by Titania AS (part of Kronos Titan), is western coast of south Norway; the main

466.9Mt, containing 31% Fetot (cut-off 15% the world-class Tellenes ilmenite deposit in supplier is the Akselberg quarry (Brønnøy

Fetot). the Neoproterozoic Rogaland Anorthosite Kalk) near Brønnøysund in central north Province in southwest Norway. Norway. Hustadmarmor is the world’s largest (www.northerniron.com.au). The deposit lies in an ilmenite-rich norite supplier of calcium carbonate slurry for the intrusion within anorthosite: it was stated (MJ paper industry. The deposit is connected to the deep-water Norway Supplement, February 2010), to con- Fine-grained graphitic carbonate suitable port of Kirkenes by an 8km-long railway. Pro- tain, in 2010, proved reserves of 200Mt with for production of lime and precipitated cal-

4 Mining Journal special publication – Norway February 2015

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Simplified geological map of Norway Source: Ø. Nordgulen

February 2015 Mining Journal special publication – Norway 5

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 5 02/02/2015 14:51 Tana, quartzite Skallelv, quartzite Stjernøy, nepheline syenite/apatite Svanvik, quartz

Reinfjorden, olivine Karlsøy, dolomite Nakken, dolomite Trælen, graphite Potrasbukt, dolomite

Skøelv, dolomite

Jennestad, graphite Breivoll, limestone

Evenes, limestone Fjelldalsheia, limestone Hekkelstrand, dolomite Kjøpsvik, limestone Drag, quartz

Linnajarvi, talc Hammerfall, dolomite Ertenvågdalen, dolomite Løvgavlen, dolomite Mårnes, quartzite Ljøsenhammeren, limestone

Nasafjell, quartz

Nakkan/Altermark, talc Seljeli, dolomite Melkfjell, quartzite

Granåsen, dolomite Fagervollan,NORWAY limestone

Hattfjelldal, limestone Akselberg, limestone

Kongsmoen, limestoneIndustrial mineral deposits Hestvika, limestone Tana, quartzite of national interest Skallelv, quartzite Stjernøy, Raudfjellet, magnesite/talc nepheline syenite/apatite Svanvik, quartz Verdal, limestone Visnes/ Reinfjorden, olivine Naas/ Karlsøy, dolomite Langnes, limestone Nakken, dolomite Glærum, limestone Trælen, graphite Potrasbukt, dolomite

Breivik, Skøelv, dolomite limestone Raudbergvik, olivine Onilsavatn, olivine Åheim, olivine Jennestad, graphite Breivoll, limestone Steinsvik, olivine Nyseter, talc Evenes, limestone Bryggja, olivine Fjelldalsheia, limestone Hekkelstrand, dolomite Engebøfjellet, rutile/garnet In production Gausdal, limestone Kjøpsvik, limestone Not in production Drag, quartz Furuberget, limestone Raudberget, talc Gudvangen, anorthosite Linnajarvi, talc Metallic ore deposits Hole, limestone Hammerfall, dolomite Ertenvågdalen, dolomite Løvgavlen, dolomite Kvalvik, quartz Mårnes, quartzite Ljøsenhammeren, limestone of national interest Nesodden, quartz

Nasafjell, quartz

Nakkan/Altermark, talc Ulveryggen/ Seljeli, dolomite Melkfjell, quartzite Nussir, copper Hesjafjellet, quartz Kodal, apatite " Fagervollan, limestone Granåsen, dolomite " Bjørnevatn, iron " Dalen, limestone Ødegården, apatite Karenhaugen, PGE/copper Hattfjelldal, limestone " Bjerkreim, apatite Kragerø, quartzite " Gallujav'ri, nickel Knipane, feldspar Akselberg, limestone Gjeddevann, gold " Rai'tevarri, copper/gold Glamsland, feldspar/quartz Kongsmoen, limestone " Hestvika, limestone Bidjovagge, gold/copper " Mauken, gold " Selvåg, titanium/iron Andørja, iron/titanium Raudfjellet, magnesite/talc " Verdal, limestone Visnes/ " Bruvann, nickel/copper Naas/ Langnes, limestone Glærum, limestone

Breivik, limestone Raudbergvik, olivine " Sulitjelma, copper/gold Åheim, olivine Onilsavatn, olivine Steinsvik, olivine Nyseter, talc Bryggja, olivine Ørtfjell, iron Engebøfjellet, rutile/garnet Høgtuva, beryllium " " In production " Gausdal, limestone Mofjellet, zink/copper/lead/gold Not in production Furuberget, limestone Raudberget, talc Gudvangen, anorthosite Hole, limestone Kolsvik, gold Kvalvik, quartz " Nesodden, quartz " Joma, copper " " Skorovatn, copper/zink Hesjafjellet, quartz Kodal, apatite Skiftesmyr/Godejord, copper/zink

Dalen, limestone Ødegården, apatite Bjerkreim, apatite Kragerø, quartzite Knipane, feldspar

Glamsland, feldspar/quartz " Løkken, copper/zink "" Rødsand, iron " Hersjø/Røros-Tydal, copper/zink " Heindalen, iron/titanium " Sjøholt, iron/vanadium Vakkerlien, nickel/copper " Grimsdal/Folldal, zink

Engebøfjellet/Naustdal, " " " rutile/titanium Espedalen, nickel In production " Orkheia, rutile/titanium " " Not in production

Nordli, molybdenum "

Ertelien, nickel "

" Kisgruva, copper/zink/selenium

Fen, niobium " " Sæteråsen, niobium " Kodal, titanium/iron/phosphorus " Industrial mineral and metallic ore Knaben, molybdenum Bjerkreim, ilmenite/ " Ødegårdens verk, rutile/titanium vanadium " deposits of national interest " Tellnes, ilmenite/nickel

6 Mining Journal special publication – Norway February 2015

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cium carbonate (PCC) is mined near Verdal in Silica Copper-gold central Norway by Verdalskalk. Cement pro- Silica resources in Norway comprise quartzite, Several large, low-grade stratabound and epi- ducer Norcem, a part of the Heidelberg hydrothermal quartz and pegmatite deposits. genetic copper-gold mineralisations occur in Group, operates two cement plants, at Breivik Total production of silica in 2013 was around Palaeoproterozoic greenstone belts in Finn- in south Norway and at Kjøpsvik in north Nor- 1.45Mt, mainly as lump-quartz for domestic mark in northernmost Norway. The supra- way, each using carbonate raw material from use. Elkem is the largest producer of lump crustal sequences comprise tholeiitic to nearby quarries. quartz, with two quarries, one in Neoprotero- komatiitic metavolcanic rocks and clastic Two companies produce dolomite in zoic quartz sandstones at Tana in the north- metasediments deposited during extensional northern Norway: Omya Hustadmarmor, easternmost part of Norway producing events. from the Hammerfall and Seljeli deposits in 1.2Mt/y (with LNS as operator – see p13) and In the Repparfjord tectonic window dis- the central part of Nordland county; and the other in Caledonian orthoquartzites at seminations and veinlets of chalcopyrite, Franzefoss Miljøkalk, from the Hekkelstrand Mårnes near Bodø, Nordland (0.22Mt/y). The bornite and chalcocite occur in sandstone in deposit west of Narvik. lump quartz is mainly used by Elkem and Fesil the Ulveryggen deposit and in dolomite, in production of ferrosilicon. Elkem is also a schist and sandstone in the Nussir deposit Graphite major producer of silicon metal, mainly based (see p15). Results released by Nussir ASA in Skaland Graphite on the island of Senja, on imported raw materials, but is presently in the course of 2014 prove the deposit to be southwest of Tromsø (part of the LNS Group the final stages of permitting for opening pro- the largest copper deposit found so far in – see p13) is the largest of three producers of duction from a deposit of silicon-metal qual- Norway. flake graphite in the EU 35 group of coun- ity hydrothermal quartz (Nasafjell) north of Orogenic Au-Cu deposits are widespread tries: the deposit has the highest grade of Mo i Rana. Eramet Norway AS controls quar- in northern Fennoscandia. The Bidjovagge deposits in production in the world (31%). ries near Kragerø where lump-quartz from Au-Cu mine yielded 6t gold and 24,000t cop- Output in 2013 was 6,207t. Reserves are Meso proterozoic orthoquartzites is produced per from 1985 to 1991, averaging 4.1g/t Au 1.8Mt, in addition to which there are several for company smelters manufacturing silicon- and 1.19% Cu. It comprises several small ore- other deposits in the region. manganese alloy. bodies totalling 2.3Mt of crude ore of chalco- High-purity quartz concentrate is pro- pyrite, native gold and locally, subordinate Nepheline syenite duced from granitic pegmatites of Palaeo- gold telluride grading 1.62g/t Au and 1.08 % Norway has been a significant producer of proterozoic age by TheQuartzCorp at Drag, Cu. nepheline syenite since the 1960s; current south of Narvik. The company also receives production is 320,000t/y (2013). The mine, at shipments of quartz from other deposits. www.arcticgold.se/bidjovagge.html. Stjernøy near Alta in the northernmost part of the country, is operated by Sibelco. The The mineralisations occur in strongly sheared, deposit is a lens-shaped body of nepheline Potential – metals albitised graphitic sedimentary and volcani- syenite in a 530Ma-old alkaline intrusion, part clastic rocks, with spatially associated syeno- of the Seiland magmatic province within the Copper-zinc(-lead) dioritic dykes, in the Kautokeino Greenstone Caledonian nappe sequence. The end-prod- Most old mines are in the volcanic succes- Belt. The extensive Raitevarre deposit, in the ucts are potassium-feldspar and nepheline- sions of the Caledonides, where mining goes Karasjok Greenstone Belt, comprises low- rich concentrates, to be used in the glass and back to around 1630. The most important grade Au-Cu mineralisations in altered, ceramics industries. districts, with tonnages mined and grades, sheared hornblende gneiss. are: In the Palaeoproterozoic sequences sev- Olivine Sulitjelma (25Mt grading 1.8% Cu and eral deposits of copper-gold in carbonate- Olivine production in Norway (1.7Mt in 2013) 0.9% Zn); quartz veins are found. accounts for around 40% of world produc- Joma and other deposits in the Grong tion of industrial-mineral grade olivine. The district (17.5Mt grading 1.4% Cu and 1.8% Gold olivine is produced from the Sibelco mine in a Zn); Concentrations of gold >1g/t are found in dunite body at Almklovdalen near Åheim in Mofjellet and Bleikvassli south of Mo i many types of ore deposit in Norway, and as west Norway, which has, for many decades, Rana (9.35Mt grading 3.8% Zn, 0.22% Cu alluvial gold in rivers in all the geological been known for the high Mg:Fe ratio of its and 1.4% Pb); provinces. Bidjovagge (see above) is the only olivine, typically in the range 88-91% of the Røros (7.5Mt, from 12 mines in 333 years, mineable deposit found so far. Mg end-member, forsterite. grading around 3% Cu and 4.5% Zn); The total amount of gold produced since Three-quarters of the production is used Folldal (4.45Mt grading 1.4% Cu and 2.6% 1750 is about 12t, including gold extracted for slag conditioning in the iron and steel Zn); metallurgically as a by-product from sulphide industry, while the rest is mainly used in the Tverrfjellet (15Mt grading 1.0% Cu, 1.2% concentrates from ores in the Caledonides. foundry industry and for a variety of refract- Zn, 0.2% Pb, 36% S); and Sizeable deposits also include the Sankt ory applications. Løkken (24Mt grading 2.3% Cu, 1.8% Zn, Jonsfjorden mineralisation on Svalbard and A new application, in recent years, has 0.02% Pb, 16g/t Ag and 0.2g/t Au): Løkken the Gjeddevann Au-As deposit close to been the use of olivine granules for absorp- was the largest known ophiolite-hosted the Russian border: the latter consists of sul- tion of heavy metals in areas with various VMS deposit in the world. phide mineralisation extending several kilo- types of pollution in addition. Åheim olivine metres along strike, with gold grades up to is also intended to be used for magnesium The current focus among these areas is on 10g/t. production in the SilMag project, which aims the Sulitjelma and Joma areas: Drake The Sveconorwegian deposits are mainly to re-establish magnesium production in Resources and joint-venture partner Pan- small mineralised quartz veins which become Norway. The olivine resources at Almklov- oramic Resources have, on the basis of new auriferous in sulphide-bearing segments rep- dalen are thought to exceed 2,000Mt. VTEM data, identified seven new targets in resenting the orebodies. These contain vari- the Sulitjelma area, while Drake, also on the able proportions of pyrite, chalcopyrite, (www.tpweek.com/Article/1937474/SilMag-to-reopen- basis of geophysical investigations, has iden- bismuth sulphides and native gold, eg. in the disused-magnesium-plant-in-Norway.html) tified several targets in the Joma area. quartz veins of Eidsvoll near Oslo. The gold

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grades reach several hundred g/t but the ton- The mineralisation in the Gallujavri Ni-Cu- main zone of mineralisation containing nages are <0.1Mt. The Grinder deposit and PGE sulphide-bearing ultramafic intrusion in 350,000t grading 0.18% Be (cut-off 0.1%) and others northeast of Oslo are a different type, Finnmark in north Norway resembles that of 850ppm REE. The dominant Be mineral is

associated with pyritised phyllonitic sericite the 2050Ma Keivitsä-Satovaara Complex in phenakite (Be2SiO4). schists, related to a regional mylonite zone Finland. extending northwards from Gothenburg in A 2.5km-long Ni-Cu mineralised zone Fluorspar Sweden. The grades are generally low, shows assays up to 2.45ppm Pt+Pd+Au. Geo- Several deposits are known in Telemark around 0.5g/t Au, but the tonnages are large. chemical and geophysical data are available county southwest of Oslo. The Lassedalen and core from eight drillholes. deposit in Kongsberg municipality was Molybdenum The Espedalen mineralisation is one of invest igated by Norsk Hydro in the 1970s Molybdenum deposits in old mining districts numerous nickel-copper mineralisations in leading to a resource estimate of 4Mt grading and in new areas are being evaluated using Meso-Proterozoic intrusions in south Nor- 29% fluorspar based on 28 drill-hole intersec- new ideas and deposit models. About 200 way. Claims are held by Drake Resources, tions along a strike length of 2.7km. The molybdenite deposits/occurrences are regis- which has documented inferred and indi- exploration rights are held by Tertiary Miner- tered in south Norway, in the Meso-/Neopro- cated resources totalling 8.96Mt, including als. terozoic Sveconorwegian terrane and in the 1Mt of inferred resource at the Stormyra Permian Oslo Graben. deposit, grading 1.00% Ni, 0.42% Cu and www.tertiaryminerals.com/lassedalen-4.html In the Sveconorwegian terrane, molybde- 0.04% Co nite occurs in both metamorphogenic and in Graphite intra-/exomagmatic quartz-feldspar veins; drk.live.irmau.com/IRM/Company/ShowPage.aspx/ New targets for graphite exploration have porphyry-style mineralisations may also exist. PDFs/1480-10000000/AnnualReporttoShareholders been identified near the existing Skaland Molybdenite was mined at Knaben from Graphite mine (see above) but also in the 1885 to 1973; in total, about 8Mt grading The Seiland magmatic province in north- Vesterålen area SW of Skaland. Graphite has

around 0.2% MoS2. ernmost Norway includes four intrusives of been mined at Rendalsvik in Nordland county Extensive molybdenum exploration was so-called Alaska type (commonly consisting (1935-45) and deposits are also known on the carried out in the Oslo Graben in the 1970s, of gabbroic rocks, intruded by younger bod- south coast of Norway. with the Nordli porphyry-style deposit, which ies of dunite, both showing magmatic layer-

contains 219Mt grading 0.13% MoS2 (cut-off ing). Nordic Mining has discovered a Magnesium

0.13% MoS2) (Intex) as the main discovery; stratiform Ni-Cu-PGE mineralisation in the SilMag AS is developing a project that plans this is said to be the largest potentially mine- Reinfjord intrusion (see p14). to produce magnesium using olivine from able molybdenum deposit in western Europe. Sibelco’s Åheim deposits as feed. The sole Critical raw materials producers of magnesium in Europe are Rus- Nickel-copper The revised EU list of Critical Raw Materials sia and Ukraine. Nickel was mined for 100 years until two was released in May 2014. Norway is a pro- mines were closed at the end of the Second ducer of several of the commodities defined REE World War. Thereafter there have been sev- as such and has a potential for others. Alkaline to peralkaline plutonic and volcanic eral periods of active prospecting, especially rocks in the Oslo Graben are generally in the 1970s. Glencore has a nickel refinery in ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/raw-materials/critical/ enriched in REE, niobium, thorium or zirco- south Norway, opened in 1910 on the basis of index_en.htm nium. In the Sæteråsen deposit, fine-grained available hydroelectric power and then disseminations of complex REE-Nb-Th- active mines. One deposit, Bruvann, 30km Phosphate rock silicates and -oxides occur in trachytic lava. southwest of Narvik, was mined from 1989- Concentration of reserves (74.6% in one An approximate estimate of the tonnage and 2003. The mineralisation occurs mainly as country) and elevated contents of trace met- grades is: around 8Mt grading 0.245% Nb, interstitial sulphide in olivine cumulate in the als such as cadmium and uranium in many 0.18% Ce, 0.11% La, 0.075% Y and Silurian intraorogenic Råna layered mafic sedimentary (phosphorite) deposits are 0.069% Nd (Ihlen, 1983): claims are held by intrusion. among the factors leading to phosphate rock REE Mining. Mining yielded 8.5Mt grading 0.52% Ni being defined as critical. and 0.1% Cu in the period 1989-2002. Norway has numerous magmatic (apatite) Other potential targets include: The PGE content of the mineralisation is deposits of various types, with low contents The Fen carbonatite southwest of Oslo car- abnormally low. Remaining measured of the above metals, but commonly enriched ries low-grade niobium ores and REE- and resources have been stated to be 9.15Mt, in REE (contents in apatite concentrates Th-enriched iron-oxide ores which were averaging 0.36% Ni (cut-off 0.30% Ni) or alter- range from 3,800 to 11,064ppm (Ihlen et al, mined in the past (see p12); natively 5.5Mt grading 0.39% Ni (cut-off 2014). Metasomatic albitites with special metal 0.35% Ni) (by previous claim-holder Scandi- The Kodal deposit has a JORC-compliant mineralisations in Palaeoproterozoic navian Highlands). resource (indicated and inferred) of 49Mt at greenstone belts in northern Norway and Nickel-copper mineralisations occur in 0.5% P cut-off (see p11); grades vary from in Meso-Proterozoic gabbroic sills in

three main settings: 4.9% (open pit) to 6.8% P2O5 (underground) southern Norway. The Biggejavri deposit 1) In mafic intrusions and metavolcanic (Ihlen et al, 2014). in the Kautokeino Greenstone Belt is units in Palaeoproterozoic units in north enriched in REE, scandium and uranium; Norway; www.kodalminerals.com and 2) In numerous, usually small, mafic/ultra- NYF-type granite pegmatites with acces- mafic intrusions in the Meso-Proterozoic Beryllium sory REE-, Nb-Ta-, Ti-, Be-, Th- or U-bearing of south Norway; and Highly-fractionated Palaeoproterozoic gra- minerals occur in the Sveconorwegian 3) In small to medium-sized mafic intru- nitic orthogneisses are found in basement orogenic belt in southern Norway and in sions, some of them layered (including windows in the Caledonides in northern the Palaeoproterozoic granites in northern Råna), in the Caledonides. Norway. The Høgtuva Be deposit includes a Norway.

8 Mining Journal special publication – Norway February 2015

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 8 02/02/2015 14:51 NORWAY The Directorate of Mining: the Minerals Act and its implementation

he current Minerals Act came into force on January 1, 2010. It has in- Tvolved numerous changes in termi- nology and tasks, including the change in the organisation’s name from Mines Inspectorate to Directorate of Mining with Commissioner of Mines at Svalbard (DMF).

Claims according to the Minerals Act

See: www.dirmin.no/Regelverk_Veiledninger/Min- erals%20Act.pdf for the text in English The state is, according to the Minerals Act, the owner of all metals with a specific gravity above 5g/cm3, and of all minerals containing these metals, as well as titanium and arsenic and ores containing these metals. Minerals that contain only traces of these metals are not owned by the state. The element sulphur is, in addition to the above-mentioned minerals, the property of the state when it occurs as pyrite or pyrrho- tite. Sulphur, in other forms, is owned by the

ground owner. Houmbgaarden Olaug Grådal, Photo: All other metals and minerals are the pro- Røros, where copper was mined from 1645-1978 perty of the ground owner. This includes both alluvial gold and bog iron ore. State shorter than 1km and the boundaries must ground owner’s minerals. Permits are granted ownership of various minerals is common be parallel with the grid lines in the UTM sys- by the Directorate of Mining. throughout continental Europe. The online tem. The minimum area of an exploration portal, www.prospecting.no, a co-operative permit is 1km2. The Directorate of Mining Ground owners’ minerals service provided by the Directorate of Mining may approve exceptions to this rule in special Exploration or extraction of a ground owner’s and the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU), cases. Application may be made and acquisi- minerals may be carried out by the ground shows valid permits, but not applications tion approved, for an unlimited number of owner or by others who claim an agreement which are being processed and which may contiguous areas. with the ground owner. have seniority (priority) in the areas con- Ground owners’ minerals can, in effect, be cerned. The overview of approved permits is Extraction permit divided into building materials (hard-rock updated weekly. An individual or company holding the explo- aggregate, gravel, sand and clay), industrial ration permit with the highest priority has minerals and natural stone. Exploitation of Exploration permit the sole right to apply for an extraction per- ground owners’ minerals is regulated by the The term ‘claim’ was replaced by’exploration mit, according to §29 in the Act. Act, as is the case for the state’s minerals. permit’, with the advent of the Act. An explo- In order to be awarded an extraction per- ration permit for the state’s minerals gives mit, the applicant must document the find- Operating licence entitlement to exploration within a defined ing of a deposit of the state’s minerals, which The Act requires the granting of an operating area and not as a right related to a defined is or may be economically viable within a licence for total extraction of volumes in deposit. foreseeable period of time. The applicant excess of 10,000m3. The licence must be The permit holder has a right to explore must provide documentation of the extent, granted by the Directorate of Mining before for, and to apply for an extraction permit for geometry, grades of, and a viable mineral the start of the operation. The limit of all the deposits of the state’s minerals within processing plan for the deposit. The extract- 10,000m3 of material does not apply to the permit area. The maximum area of an ion permit shall not have a greater extent extraction of natural stone, which means that exploration permit is 10km2. No side may be than the deposit. a licence is required for any extraction of nat- The extraction area is granted and defined ural stone, regardless of the volume. by the Directorate of Mining. An individual An operating licence can be granted only “The minimum area of an extraction area permit cannot exceed 1km2. to the holder of an extraction permit. This 2 The applicant may be awarded the number applies to both the state’s and the ground exploration permit is 1km . of extraction permits necessary to cover the owner’s minerals. Consideration of the grant- The Directorate of Mining deposit. ing of a licence must include emphasis on the may approve exceptions to applicant’s qualifications in relation to exploi- Pilot extraction tation of the deposit. Granting of the conces- this rule in special cases” The Act stipulates that a permit is required for sion must always include definition of the pilot extraction of both the state’s and the area to which it applies.

February 2015 Mining Journal special publication – Norway 9

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 9 02/02/2015 14:51 NORWAY

The Svalbard Treaty and the role “All persons who wish to valid extraction permits on Svalbard, and a of the Directorate on Svalbard further 17 permits allocated at a claim survey The Svalbard Treaty, signed in 1920 by 14 prospect for minerals on held in August 2014, the results of which will countries, granted Norway sovereignty of the Svalbard must have an become final in March 2015. archipelago, but gave the right to own property, including mineral rights, to nationals of exploration licence” Management of historic mining all the signatory countries. In all, 42 countries sites have now signed the treaty. discovers a deposit must, in the presence of The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries Norway undertook the responsibility (Arti- two witnesses, mark the find in the terrain has held responsibility for the sites of aban- cle 8 of the Treaty) to provide mining regula- and send a written notification to the Direct- doned historic mines after an agreement tions for Svalbard. The Mining Code (the orate of Mining, whereupon the holder is dating from 1988. The Directorate of Mining Mining regulations) for Spitsbergen (Sval- granted sole right to exploitation of the dis- carries out remedial measures on behalf of bard) was approved by Royal Decree in 1925 covery. A sample should be submitted to the the Ministry following dialogue with, and and include rules for the acquisition of Commissioner along with the report on the requirements from the Norwegian Environ- mining permits and for subsequent mining deposit’s location to allow an assessment of ment Agency. The Directorate of Mining also activities. The Directorate of Mining with the material in relation to potential mining of carries out mapping and investigation of Commissioner of Mines at Svalbard has the deposit. There exist, as of September leakage from abandoned mining areas and responsibility for both Svalbard and Jan 2014, 19 discoveries for which no application monitors the results of measures taken. There Mayen, but the law applicable on Jan Mayen for an extraction permit has been received. is a requirement that the copper content in is the Minerals Act of mainland Norway. the main drainage system downstream from The Directorate of Mining assists interested Extraction permit the mine area must not exceed 10µg/l. parties with advice and information on regis- Granting of an extraction permit gives entitle- Most of the measures taken involved tered occurrences and deposits of mineral ment to extract minerals and rocks within the establishing suitable sites for deposition of resources on Svalbard. areal limits of the permit. Applications for mine waste. Earlier measures in these areas permits must be sent to the Directorate of have resulted in a reduction of total drainage Exploration licence Mining within five years after the deposit is of copper by 75%: our aim is to achieve All persons who wish to prospect for minerals first marked in the terrain, in the absence of further improvements. The Directorate is on Svalbard must have an exploration which the finder loses the right to the deposit. focusing on measures for remediation in four licence. The Directorate of Mining issues The Directorate has two years in which to remaining areas in which the target for the exploration licences which are valid for two assess the application, visit the location and level of drainage of copper has yet to be years and which entitle the holder to pros- evaluate the deposit. achieved: measures will include solutions pect according to the laws and regulations There were, as of September 30, 2014, 371 involving capping and natural filtration. applicable on Svalbard. Seven such permits are valid as of September 2014.

Reporting discoveries The Mining Regulations are based on the first finder’s right. The holder of a licence who first Norsk Bergindustri – the Norwegian Mineral Industry

stablished in 2008, Norsk Bergindustri represents a strong tradition in the Emining, aggregates and natural stone industries. Norsk Bergindustri is open for membership from companies that are exploring for, producing, processing or handling mineral resources in Norway, or companies that otherwise relate to the industry. Mining has a long tradition in Norway. Today, however, mineral products are taken for granted. However – minerals follow us through life from the sandpit via the mobile phone to the gravestone. Norway has a high per-capita consumption of minerals, due among other things to climatic challenges. Norsk Bergindustri’s main job is to tell society about the need for mineral products. Norsk Bergindustri’s aim as an association

Close-up of polished larvikite – Norway’s national

Photo: Tom Heldal Tom Photo: stone: over 200,000t are exported annually

10 Mining Journal special publication – Norway February 2015

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 10 02/02/2015 14:52 NORWAY

“Norsk Bergindustri has a Kodal Minerals – phosphate code of ethics, the purpose of which is to help ensure project in South Norway that its members play a positive role in society”

is to be the focal point for discussions about mining and quarrying in Norway, including certain aspects of processing. The organisation’s vision is to achieve a strong, united Norwegian mineral industry. Norsk Bergindustri’s core values are to be long-term, inclusive and brave, open and responsible. Norway’s first mineral strategy was pre- sented in 2013. The document outlines goals for the mineral industry, and for the political management of geological resources. The organisation uses the strategy as a guideline in its co-operation with member companies, politicians and other interest groups. Since the election in late 2013, Norway has been directed by a new Conservative-Prog- ress Party coalition government, led by Erna Solberg. In its political platform, the government points to the mineral industry as a key policy area. Norsk Bergindustri considers this Map showing the location of the Kodal Project in southern Norway to be a major recognition of the industry and hopes that it will be the start of an industry- odal Minerals Plc is developing the friendly political development. Kodal phosphate and iron deposit in “Kodal is moving the project Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is Ksouthern Norway. The deposit was through the planning important for the mineral industry. Norsk Ber- originally investigated by Norsk Hydro in gindustri has a code of ethics, the purpose of three exploration campaigns between 1959 process in Norway. The which is to help ensure that its members play and 1984, including 58 drill holes. environmental baseline a positive role in society. Its main priorities The project is a phosphate and magnetite are: to be represented in Europe; to influence deposit with a JORC-compliant resource studies are almost complete” decision-makers; to host activities which its (indicated and inferred) of 49Mt at 0.5% P members find relevant; and to complete the cut-off. The orebody remains open at depth. complete and the ESIA format is about to be establishment of its small association by The Kodal 1.9km-long orebody sits in an submitted for approval. working efficiently. almost vertical orientation: it is open at depth Kodal is also exploring for copper at its Norsk Bergindustri’s main goals are to with the deepest drill intersection to date at Grimeli Project, located around 150km north advance members’ interests through pro- 300m. The deposit consists of a 20m-wide of Bergen. There are two previously produc- moting positive visibility and increased main ore zone within a transition zone. The ing mines on the exploration licences; the understanding for mining and quarrying total width of mineralisation is approximately larger produced over three periods from activities, to maintain and develop suitable 120m. 1759 to 1920 and the smaller, 7km to the and just framework conditions, to create a Recent test work has indicated that the east, between 1871 and 1880. Recent chan- good balance between economy, environ- Kodal phosphate can be upgraded on site to nel sampling has retuned assays up to 7.25%

mental and social responsibility, to secure a very high grade of 41.8% P2O5. In addition, Cu over 1.7m. suitable competence for the industry, and to the Kodal phosphate concentrate will have Kodal has completed surface geophysics stimulate good dialogue and culture within low levels of contaminants compared to over the western part of the licence area and the industry. some other commercial phosphate products has identified a 3km-long magnetic anomaly – for example, the cadmium grade is less than adjacent to, and extending from the previ- Norsk Bergindustri (Norwegian Mineral Industry) 10ppm in concentrate. ously mined area. welcomes new members. If anyone is considering The conceptual plan for the Kodal project Kodal intends to drill test this anomaly, and Norway as a focus for investment in exploration and mining, see the contact details on the back cover (p20). is a surface mine operating for 15 years pro- its extension to the mined areas, in 2015. Norsk Bergindustri looks forwards to hearing from you! cessing 1.6Mt/y of ore followed by three years processing the transitional material. The project would produce about 200,000t/y of phosphate concentrate at a

grade of 41.8% P2O5 and 650,000t/y of iron concentrate at a grade of 62% Fe. Kodal is currently moving the project through the planning process in Norway. The environmental baseline studies are almost

February 2015 Mining Journal special publication – Norway 11

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 11 02/02/2015 14:52 NORWAY REE and thorium potential of the Fen Carbonatite Complex

Sven Dahlgren

he recent discovery of a large REE mineralisation increases the possi- Tbility of new mining operations in the Fen Complex. The largest thorium deposit in Europe, also rich in REE, is located within the complex, but exploitation is not expected in the near future. The niobium and phosphate potential of the complex is almost un- explored.

The Fen Carbonatite Complex This complex is the world type locality for carbonatites, ie. carbonate rock of igneous ori- gin. It covers only 4-5km2 on the surface, but extends downwards (based on gravity data) for many kilometres. In spite of the scientific fame of the complex, numerous scientific Photo: S. Dahlgren Photo: publications, mining operations (iron 1652- Aerial photo of the Fen Carbonatite Complex, Norway. The outer boundaries of the complex are shown 1942; niobium 1953-1965), and repeated by the white dotted line. Place names and mineralisation types shows the location of mineralisations exploration activity, less than half of the sur- described in the main text face geology of this small complex is known. This is due to the extensive cover of Holocene Drill core of high-grade REE mineralisation marine clays and the paucity of drillholes. No (reddish minerals), drilled by REE Minerals, details are known for any of the complex at Fen March 2014 depths below 200m. The geology and mineral potential of the complex at depth are Niobium and apatite thus virtually unknown. Niobium was mined between 1953 and 1965 from calcite carbonatites (‘søvite’) at Søve. REE and thorium Mine shafts extended down to 150m near the When exploration for REE in the Fen Complex shore of Lake Norsjø, and an adit was worked began in the late 1960s, it was discovered southwards into søvites of the central parts of that the rødberg (’red rock’), an altered car- the complex at Tufte. bonatite stained by haematite, in the old Fen The niobium occurs in pyrochlore and

iron mine area, was enriched in REE minerals. S. Dahlgren Photo: columbite: during mining, the Nb2O5 grade It was soon realised that large volumes of tion. Fen Minerals AS has an extraction per- varied between 0.4 and 0.25%, with 0.35% rødberg contained 2.5-4% REE. mit in this area. quoted as the average. The REE minerals are monazite, bastnae- Apatite is also abundant in the søvites site, parisite and synchysite. The generally Thorium-poor REE and averaged 7% in the niobium mines. small grain size of the REE-minerals (1-50µm) The company REE Minerals (www.reeminer- The niobium-bearing søvites generally occur excluded recovery on an industrial scale at als.no/no/Forsiden/) has, since 2011, investi- as dykes up to a few metres thick and that time, and no reliable recovery process gated the covered and previously are confined to the western part of the Com- has, to the writer’s knowledge, been devel- little-known southeastern part of the Fen plex. oped since. Total REE resources are very complex. Drilling campaigns undertaken in This area is heavily covered by marine uncertain, but are estimated at 400Mt with 2012 and 2014 have revealed a previously clays, and there has been almost no explora- an average grade of 0.9% REE oxides. unknown REE resource of considerable size. tion drilling after the closure of the Søve Additionally, the rødberg in the old iron It consists of a relatively homogeneous mine. The niobium and phosphate resources mine area is very rich in thorium: grades ankerite carbonatite with low-thorium REE of the Fen Complex cannot thus be quanti- reach 0.4% Th, or more, in rich parts, and the mineralization. Inferred resources are 84Mt, fied at present. average grade is 872g/t. with a potential for at least 200Mt, containing A minimum resource estimate is 36,000t an average of 1.08% REE oxides with high- Ongoing activities of thorium, but estimates of inferred grade zones containing up to 4.49% REE- In a EURARE-project, the company Fen Miner- resources of the order of 200,000-300,000t oxides. The ore has a favourable content of als AS is addressing the industrial recovery of are credible. Thorianite is the main thorium- REE (Nd, Eu, Tb, Dy and Y). REE from the challenging thorium-rich REE bearing mineral: its grain size is up to a few The REE-bearing phases are as in the rød- ores in the Fen old iron mine area. tens of µm. The thorium and REE minerals are berg, but are much more coarse-grained (up The other company, REE Minerals, contin- so tiny and relatively homogeneously dis- to several millimetres), and metallurgical ues its exploration of its licence area in the persed in the rock that almost the entire ‘rød- tests are very encouraging for industrial pro- southeastern part of Fen Complex. The big berg’ of the iron mine district may be cessing of a high-grade REE mineral concen- question is whether its discovery could be of classified as a ‘high-thorium REE’ mineralisa- trate. world-class.

12 Mining Journal special publication – Norway February 2015

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 12 02/02/2015 14:52 NORWAY LNS mining and construction operations – from Pole to Pole

he LNS Group consists of 16 compa- craft, five barges with up to 800t capacity and nies, several of them engaged in approximately 50 units of various types of Tmining. LNS (eng.lns.no) is northern contracting equipment including excavators, Norway’s largest and the country’s 15th-larg- wheel loaders, drill rigs, trucks and dumpers, est contractor. The company specialises in etc. implementing demanding projects in areas with difficult logistics. Quartzite quarry in North Norway The group’s core business is building roads Austertana is home to one of the largest and tunnels but it also owns several mines quartzite quarries in the world. LNS is con- and is the operating contractor for several tracted by Elkem Tana to extract quartzite for other mining companies. production of ferrosilicon. The quarry is located at around 350m above sea level: the Domestic and international access road from the quarry to the quay facil- projects ity has a gradient of 1:7, which is highly LNS has, in recent years, been involved in demanding on both crew and equipment. a number of major projects. The company Rubies in outcrop at the Aappaluttoq deposit, This transport road is described by equip- has, for example, participated in developing near Fiskenaesset, southwest Greenland ment manufacturers as the “world’s tough- Lofoten’s road link to mainland Norway est”. (LOFAST), modernising several power sta- Photo: S. Dahlgren Photo: LNS Spitsbergen A/S tions and in construction of a new export LNS Spitsbergen has unique expertise on Arc- Rana Gruber A/S – iron mine in harbour for iron-ore pellets in Narvik. LNS tic conditions. Many years’ experience in the North Norway also built the UN’s Svalbard Global Seed Arctic and Antarctic has given the company Rana Gruber (www.ranagruber.no) is one of Vault. unique skills in logistics, transport and con- Norway’s largest companies in mining and The company has broad experience with tracting in these extreme conditions. iron-ore beneficiation and one of the key work outside Norway, including projects on Projects in Antarctica have been at the Nor- companies in Nordland county. Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and wegian Troll station and at Bharati for the The products are based on Rana Gruber’s in the Antarctic. The group has a separate Indian Polar Institute. LNS has also imple- own natural mineral resources, upgraded company in Chile, and is currently complet- mented projects on Beeren Island and Hopen and tailored for specific applications and ing a large tunnel project in Hong Kong. (Svalbard), Jan Mayen (between Svalbard exported to customers worldwide. The com- Through the subsidiary LNS Spitsbergen AS and Iceland) and on Bouvet Island in the pany serve primarily steel producers and the (LNSS), LNS has a high level of activity on South Atlantic. chemical industry. Svalbard. The latest project is the Aappalut- LNS Spitsbergen was, for many years, a Rana Gruber’s subsidiary RG Mineral AS toq Ruby Mine Project, in Greenland, which is subcontractor for Store Norske Spitsbergen supplies the various speciality products to carried out through LNS Greenland A/S. It will Kulkompani AS, providing logistical services paint manufacturers and to the building and be responsible for developing infrastructure at the Svea Nord coal mine. The primary automotive industries. With 260 employees, works and subsequently for mining opera- assignment was to transport coal from the the company currently mines 4.4Mt/y of iron tions. mine to the Kapp Amsterdam storage area ore, corresponding to 1.5Mt of concentrates and to load the coal (up to 3-4 million m3 (hematite and magnetite) and speciality annually) onto ships. products.

LNS Greenland A/S Skaland Graphite A/S LNS Greenland (LNSG) is a Greenlandic Con- Graphite mining at Skaland began in around tracting Company with offices in Nuuk, the 1932 on a vein-type crystalline graphite capital of Greenland and at Qaqortoq in South deposit; the company was the taken over by Greenland: it is owned by the LNS Group LNS in 2003. (90.4%) and Greenland Venture A/S (9.6%). Mining began at the Trælen deposit in The company’s focus is on the minerals 2007; it has proved reserves of 1.7Mt of very industry and it offers a wide range of profes- high-grade graphite ore (31%). Modern min- sional services to domestic and foreign com- ing techniques and a new dressing plant panies working on Greenland: it provides guarantee a consistent production of Silver- turn-key solutions as well as specific services shine products, which are exported to cus- within traditional contracting, construction, tomers in Central Europe. diamond drilling, rock blasting, marine opera- Skaland Graphite is the largest producer of tions, diving, camp solutions, catering, con- crystalline flake graphite in Europe, with a sulting, logistics and various other tasks. The capacity of up to 10,000t/y of flake and micro- workforce has long-standing experience from flake powder graphite. operations in the Arctic: its specialist skill is to find solutions to demanding projects, in iso- lated locations with difficult logistics. The company´s fleet of major equipment Ørtfjell open pit, Rana Gruber includes a diving/tug boat, three landing

February 2015 Mining Journal special publication – Norway 13

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 13 02/02/2015 14:52 NORWAY The Engebø rutile project: Strengthening Norway’s mineral industry

he Engebø eclogite deposit, in Naustdal municipality in western TNorway, hosts one of the world’s largest known resources of natural rutile.

With an average rutile grade of 3.77% TiO2, it is also the richest deposit, compared to current production and pipeline projects. Natural levels of uranium and thorium are among the lowest of any known rutile deposit. Nordic Mining plans to produce Artist’s impression around 100,000t/y of rutile with a grade of of the Engebø

95% TiO2. This will position Nordic Mining as plant site

one of the world’s major rutile producers. X-form Graphic: A JORC-compliant resource estimate facility. Crushed material will be transported way with a high demand for new long-term shows that the deposit contains around by a 400m-long conveyor belt to the milling employment. The production scheme envis- 154Mt of high-grade ore. A historic estimate, and processing facilities. The processing ages 170 full-time employees at the mine currently not JORC-classified, indicates that plant will be situated 150m from a deep-sea site. Studies indicate a further 300 positions the total rutile deposit may be as large as quay for shipping of products in multi-size in indirect employment in Norway. 380Mt. Titanium feedstock is scarce in vessels. The industrial facilities are in an area A scenario using rutile as feedstock to pro- Europe; Norway and Ukraine are the only pro- with good access to infrastructure such as duce titanium metal in Norway may consti- ducing countries. A new supply of rutile from roads, hydropower and water. tute an exciting future possibility, using the Norway will reduce the need for overseas The tailings will be deposited using a deep- significant surplus of hydroelectric power in import to European pigment plants. The sea disposal system that transports the tail- the region. The region also hosts many of the short sailing distance to the UK, the Nether- ings to the fjord bottom at about 320m depth major smelting plants in Norway, and has lands and Belgium opens for smaller cargo in Førdefjord. The tailings consist of inert, several industrial communities with relevant size and offers greater flexibility and logistical relatively coarse minerals: thorough environ- infrastructure and advanced metallurgical advantages compared to overseas ship- mental assessments document that the tail- competence. ments. The planned rutile supply from ings can be deposited safely with regard to The Norwegian government is resolving Engebø will represent a high-grade titanium environmental aspects. Norway has long- the final permits regarding land regulation feedstock that complements Norway’s cur- standing experience in operating fjord tail- and waste disposal for the project. On the rent ilmenite production by the KRONOS ings disposal as a sustainable solution with basis of its significant size, high grade, ideal company, Titania AS. long-term safety and integrity. location and limited footprint, the Engebø The mining scenario at Engebø envisages Due to the harmless properties of the rutile deposit will strengthen Norway’s land an initial, open-pit production phase of 10-15 waste minerals, they have also been qualified based industry for generations. years, followed by an underground phase of as capping material in Norway, to be used to up to 35 years with a total mine-life of around cover contaminated sea sediments in har- About Nordic Mining 50 years. The eclogite orebody lies within a bours and waste from industrial sites. Fur- Nordic Mining ASA is a resource company 350m-high mountain located adjacent to the ther, Nordic Mining expects a significant part with focus on high-end industrial minerals Førdefjord shoreline, resulting in a limited of the tailings to be sold for various applica- and metals in Norway and internationally. footprint for the land-based operations. By tions such as landfill, flood protection mate- Nordic Mining has rights for exploration starting extraction ‘top-down’ on the out- rial, soil improvement, etc. locally and and production of high-purity quartz in cropping ore, the mining operation will, with elsewhere in Europe. Kvinnherad in Hordaland county southeast of support of gravity, move ore through a ‘glory The Engebø project will represent a new Bergen through its subsidiary, Nordic Quartz hole’ shaft down to an underground crushing cornerstone business in a rural area of Nor- AS. Nordic Mining’s associated company, Keliber Oy, in Finland plans to start mining Winter drilling lithium-bearing spodumene and produce at Engebø lithium carbonate. Nordic Mining holds exploration rights in the Øksfjord region in Troms and Finnmark to a prospect ive area of nickel-copper-PGE mineralisation. Through the subsidiary Nordic Ocean Resources AS, Nordic Mining is exploring opportunities related to seabed mineral resources. Nordic Mining is listed on Oslo Axess (www.nordicmining.com). Photo: Nordic Mining Nordic Photo:

14 Mining Journal special publication – Norway February 2015

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 14 02/02/2015 14:52 NORWAY Nussir: Norway’s next copper mine?

ussir ASA (www.nussir.no) is a dy- In all, 161 holes have been drilled, with a mineralogy vary along strike: in the west namic exploration, development total length of about 30,000m. A detailed chalcopyrite dominates in dolomite, whereas Nand mining company established helicopter-borne geophysical survey and, in the east bornite and chalcocite are found in 2005 to develop the Nussir and other near- locally, ground geophysics have also been in schist and sandstone with accompanying by copper deposits in the Kvalsund munici- conducted. Recovery tests have been carried elevated contents of precious metals. pality, near Hammerfest in north Norway. out, and a scoping study was completed in Genetically, the deposit resembles other Nussir is one of Norway’s major undevel- December 2009. The indicated and inferred major sediment-hosted copper deposit such oped copper deposits. Exploration activities resource so far is 66Mt grading 1.16% Cu, as those in the Copperbelt in Central Africa have proved that the ore has a tonnage and 14.9-18.2g/t Ag with additional values of Au and the Kupferschiefer in central Europe. geology which can support the development and PGE. The deposit is still open to west, The sandstone-hosted Ulveryggen copper of a long-life copper mine. As well as copper, east and at depth. deposit, in the lower part of the clastic the ore contains valuable amounts of gold, The deposit is located in a Palaeo-Protero- sequence, further substantiates this compari- silver, platinum and palladium. zoic supracrustal sequence in the Repparf- son. It was mined in the 1970s and is currently The deposit offers excellent prospects of a jord Tectonic Window at 70°27‘ N. This being re-evaluated. The remaining proved rapid mine start – given the presence of exist- sequence comprises metavolcanic rocks mineralisation in the Ulveryggen orebody is ing infrastructure such as proximity to a varying in composition from calc-alkaline to 7Mt grading 0.89% Cu. deep-sea ice-free port, a major highway, tholeiitic, and clastic metasediments depos- Both deposits are variably deformed, and high-voltage power lines, and a nearby ited in an extensional setting. The copper preliminary structural studies allow an alter- industrial area is under development. The mineralisations occur in a thin sequence of native interpretation of the genesis of these company holds a 100% interest in the explo- dolomite, schist and sandstone on top of a copper mineralisations, with a tectonically ration and mining rights and has a positive 2.5km-thick package of coarse clastic meta- controlled primary deposition. dialogue with the local community. sediments. The deposit, discovered in 1979, was The mineralised horizon is about 9km mapped at the surface and sparsely drilled along strike, dips at 50-60º and has an aver- Drilling at the Nussir deposit in late winter over a strike length of 9km in the 1980s and age width of 3-4m. It has been drilled to 1990s. The founder of Nussir ASA acquired about 1,150m below the surface. the exploration and mining rights in 2000, The copper mineralisations consist of dis- and an extensive drilling programme began seminations and veinlets of chalcopyrite, in 2006. bornite and chalcocite. The host rock and

“The deposit offers excellent prospects of a rapid mine start – given the presence of existing infrastructure such as proximity to a deep-sea ice-free port, a major highway, high-voltage power lines, and a nearby industrial area is under development”

February 2015 Mining Journal special publication – Norway 15

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 15 02/02/2015 14:52 NORWAY Store Norske: 100 years in the Arctic

Coal exploration on Svalbard: all drilling Location of key coal deposits on Svalbard: must, to protect the local ecosystems, dark green show mines in operation; light take place during the Arctic winter green show potential new deposits

tore Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani AS (www.snsk.no) has mined coal on Sthe Svalbard archipelago since 1916 and is the northernmost mining operation in Bassen area were granted by the Commis- Longyearbyen, with its international air- the world. Almost 100 years of mining in the sioner of Mines at Svalbard on August 26, port, port facilities, varied commercial activ- high Arctic has given the company expertise 2014 and the deposit is being drilled. ity, university campus, research activities, and in the development and use of technology tourism, is also developing as a communica- and logistics for Arctic conditions that few Natural challenges tions centre in the Arctic. Possible future others, if any, can match. Modern mining demands the use of advanced development of the Citronen Fjord Zn deposit Store Norske’s head office is at Longyear- machinery, efficient infrastructure and solid in NE Greenland, held by Ironbark Zinc Ltd, byen (78°N). Three underground mines are experience. It also requires well-oiled logis- will no doubt add to the importance of Long- currently operating – Mine 7 in Advent Valley, tics. The challenges in the high Arctic are yearbyen as the hub of the High Arctic. close to Longyearbyen; Svea Nord, about to greater than in most parts of the globe. At Store Norske has extensive exploration be exhausted; and Lunckefjell, about to open Svea, the company manages an airfield, har- activities on Svalbard. The company drills for regular production near the Svea mining bour, power station and a settlement – with a about 5,000m annually to map its future camp, 60km south of Longyearbyen. Around power supply, waste systems and transport resources and in searching for new Palaeo- 1.5Mt/y is produced from the Svea mines, to a location completely without link roads, gene coal seams in the Central Basin on the mainly for export for power production in on a fjord which freezes over for half the year. main island, Spitsbergen. Denmark and Germany. A further 75,000t/y is The sun disappears below the horizon for Environmental regulations dictate that all produced from Mine 7, for the metallurgical nearly half the year and there is total dark- exploration activity must take place during industry and local power production. ness for over three months. Meeting these the winter season, on snow. No trace is to be The coal seam in Svea Nord is up to 5m challenges successfully calls for broad tech- left on bare ground. Store Norske has also thick and is mined mainly by longwall work- nological and human skills. Store Norske is conducted exploration for other commodi- ing. The coal is transported to the surface on proud of our people and our abilities. ties across the main island, Spitsbergen. a conveyer belt and then by truck to the har- The company’s long tradition and know- Extensive gold mineralisation showing bour at Kapp Amsterdam, 5km away. The ledge of the geology of the up to 55ppm Au has been found in several seam in the new Lunckefjell mine is around Arctic and of the technology locations along the western coast, within a 2m thick on average, and will also be mined needed to operate here has, Tertiary fold belt. A mineralised by longwall working. Additional challenges since 1993, been further shear zone extending for include 3.5km truck transport across an developed in co-operation with more than 8km was drilled by active glacier before connection with the belt the University Centre of Sval- the subsidiary Store Norske conveyer in the Svea Nord mine. The seam at bard, adding to its long- Gull AS with 21 holes in Mine 7 averages 1.5m in thickness, and is term co-operation with the 2010, indicating a contin- mined by room and pillar methods. The Norwegian University of Sci- uous gold mineralising Lunckefjell deposit contains 8.4Mt of extract- ence and Technology and system. Further explora- able reserve, with about 50% PCI-quality, Stjørdal Technical College. tion is needed, but has high-volatile bituminous coal. Regular pro- Store Norske is the main been halted for various duction is expected to start in March this employer in Longyearbyen, a town of about environmental and political reasons. year. The next target is the peripheral zone of 2,100 inhabitants. Over 500 of a total of 1,200 The challenges of the Arctic night, mining the present main mine, Svea Nord, followed in employment in the community depend in permafrost, and drilling through moraine by Ispallen, also in the Svea area. From 2028, directly on the company. The long-term sta- and glaciers necessitate advanced skills, the plan is to concentrate all mining activity bility of the mining company makes it the which Store Norske has developed and per- near Longyearbyen by opening the Bassen most important commercial activity and sta- fected over decades. Store Norske cares for resource in Operafjellet. Mining claims for the bilising factor in the Svalbard community. the Arctic.

16 Mining Journal special publication – Norway February 2015

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 16 02/02/2015 14:52 NORWAY

Above: the Hustadmarmor ground marble processing plant at Elnesvågen (left); the Hammerfall dolomite mine and quay in winter (right) Omya Hustadmarmor AS in Norway

mya is a Swiss-owned leading glob- made today contains, on average, 20% cal- 230m below sea level. Most of the produc- al producer of industrial minerals, cium carbonate; art papers (magazine paper tion is delivered to customers by ship, and Omainly fillers and pigments derived or glossy paper) may contain as much as more than 100 vessels leave the plant each from carbonate rocks, as well as a worldwide 50%. year. About 60% is exported to customers in distributor of speciality chemicals. The major Liquid marble is over 99% pure. It is also Northern Europe. markets are paper, polymers, building mate- used in food-packaging material, such as The dolomite from Hammerfall is an impor- rials, and life sciences. The company operates milk cartons. tant raw material in the manufacture of min- worldwide and has more than 180 plants in Calcium carbonate fillers and coating pig- eral wool, glass, fertilisers and refractories. It over 50 countries. ments lend paper a high degree of white- is also used as decorative garden stones and Omya has three plants in Norway: Elnesvå- ness, opacity, gloss and a good printability at for the processing of high-quality fillers for gen, southwest of Trondheim; Knarrevik, out- reduced costs. applications such as paints, coatings, adhe- side Bergen; and Hammerfall, at Røsvik, about Efficient and environmentally-friendly sives, etc. midway between Mo i Rana and Narvik. transport by purpose-built tankers makes the The plant at Elnesvågen is the largest pro- logistics competitive, despite the fact that Knarrevik duction unit within the company and is the the company is located far from the big mar- The plant in Knarrevik produces dolomite world’s largest producer of pigments for the kets. Some 99% of the production goes into and mica, both of which are industrial miner- international paper industry. export. A vessel carrying almost up to 20,000 als used worldwide. The raw materials are tons of slurry frequently leaves the pier in dolomite from Hammerfall and mica From Norwegian marble Elnesvågen on course to big paper manufac- imported from India and China. The finished to international paper tures in North and Cen tral Europe. products bear the names Microdol and Mica. Elnesvågen Omya Hustadmarmor can also supply Microdol is a pure, white material, pro- The raw material for the plant at Elnesvågen products for other purposes. These are slurry duced in various fractions. The main applica- is marble from mines and quarries at Eide, products for water treatment, fish-farming, tions are paints, industrial coatings, fiberglass Fræna and Brønnøysund, mainly transported agriculture, and lime treatment of water- and plastics. It is also used in adhesives, cos- to the facility by boat. The marble is ground, ways. These are mainly transported by tanker metics, agricultural and environmental appli- washed and sieved at the production plant in lorries. cations. Elnesvågen. Mica is a pure, micronised muscovite mica The finished product, ie. slurry, looks Hammerfall product with a lamellar particle structure. almost like milk, but has a far higher density. The plant and mine at Hammerfall, north of The applications are paints, anti-corrosion The average size of each particle is 0.002mm! the Arctic Circle, is the company’s northern- primers, polymers and cosmetics. The use of minerals in paper making is a prac- most plant. The facility celebrates its 80th tice that has long been known. Minerals are anniversary this year. used either as filler or as coating pigment. The raw material is a very pure

Calcium carbonate is the most dolomite, CaMg(CO3)₂, important filler and coating pig- formed more than ment for the paper-making 520 million years process. The use of calcium ago. The dolo- carbonate increases the mite is paper quality and reduces exploited the environmental impact from mines The Knarrevik dolomite and of the production. Paper at around mica processing plant

February 2015 Mining Journal special publication – Norway 17

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 17 02/02/2015 14:52 NORWAY Norway’s metal production Hydropower + technology + mineral resources => metal production

Finnfjord Smelter, in Troms county uses quartz from northern Norway in the world’s most energy-efficient process for production of ferrosilicon Photo: Man Diesel and Turbo

orway has a long history of metal “Norway’s expertise in ore-dressing and metallurgy is very mining and processing, with rela- strong. Combined with increasingly ready access to hydro- Ntively large-scale mining developing in the 17th century. Primary production electric power in the 20th century and port facilities has experienced the natural cycles related to exhaustion of resources in individual depos- allowing ready import of mineral raw materials, this has its, competition with richer, larger deposits in formed the basis for development of Norway as one of other parts of the globe and price move- ments in general. Europe’s major producers of metals and alloys” Norway’s expertise in ore-dressing and metallurgy has, however, remained strong. and is investigating a deposit with a quality minium has been conducted in Norway but Combined with increasingly ready access to suitable for production of Si metal. Norway did not lead to commercial development. hydro-electric power in the 20th century and was the most important producer in 2012 of port facilities allowing ready import (as well all but one of these alloys in the EU35 coun- Nickel and co-products as export) of mineral raw materials, this has tries (EU member and applicant states and Norway was the world’s major supplier of formed the basis for development of Norway EEA states). The exception was ferro-manga- nickel until the discovery of laterite ores in as one of Europe’s major producers of metals nese, of which France is listed with product- New Caledonia in the 1870s. One of the main and alloys. ion exceeding Norway’s by 1,000 t. mines was at Flåt, 70km inland from Kristian- sand on the south coast. The Flåt mine, Ferro-alloys and silicon Base metals in operation from 1872-1946, was the reason Norway’s total production of ferro-alloys in Aluminium for establishing a nickel refinery at Kristian- 2012 was 748,886t (British Geological Survey, Norway, with a total output of 1.985Mt, pro- sand in 1910. Falconbridge bought the refin- 2014). Major producing companies are: duced 38.7% of primary aluminium product- ery in 1929 for processing of matte from Elkem (Fe-Si, Si and others); Finnfjord AS (Fe- ion in the EU35 group in 2012 (fifth position mines in Canada. Xstrata became the new Si); FESIL Rana Metal (Fe-Si); and Eramet (Fe- at a global level), almost entirely based on owner in 2006 when it absorbed Falcon- Mn and Fe-Si-Mn). import of alumina. The major producers were bridge and, after the merger with Glencore in Elkem is a major producer of quartz of a Hydro Aluminium and Alcoa. Research aimed 2013, the operating company became Glen- quality suitable for production of Fe-Si alloy at use of anorthite as feed for producing alu- core Nikkelverk. Production in 2013 was: 91,017t Ni, 37,461t Cu and 3,348t Co. Production 2012 (t) Rank in EU35 Ferro-manganese 130,000 2 www.xstratanickel.no/NO/OmOss/Sider/Hovedtall.aspx Ferro-silicon-manganese 266,000 1 Ferro-silicon 203,886 1 Zinc The Odda zinc smelter, located on an arm Other ferro-alloys 150,000 1 of Hardangerfjord in southwest Norway Silicon metal 170,000 1 was founded in 1924 and is now owned by Aluminium 1,985,000 1 Boliden. The plant processes zinc concen- Nickel, refined 92,000 1 trates from Boliden mines in Ireland and Swe- Copper, refined 38,000 10 den, with 20% of the feed from other countries. Zinc metal production in 2013 was Cobalt metal 2,969 3 143,000t. Zinc metal 152,647 7 Data from: http://www.bgs.ac.uk/products/minerals/statistics.html – European Mineral Statistics 2008 – 2012 www.boliden.com/Operations/Smelters/Odda

18 Mining Journal special publication – Norway February 2015

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 18 02/02/2015 14:52 NORWAY Tschudi: a facilitator in the Arctic

schudi Shipping Company AS, based entry point for the Northern Sea Route (NSR), in Oslo, is the privately owned offering trans-shipment, storage and an off- TNorwegian holding company for the shore base. A road construction plan is on Tschudi Group, which dates back to 1883. the regional and national agenda. The Tschudi Group builds on its three Tschudi’s presence in the High North main commercial competences – ship- led to the company initiating and ping, logistics and offshore activity – being among the pioneers of to create integrated transport the first non-Russian commercial solutions by drawing on internal shipment via the NSR to China in resources. Particular focus is on 2010. The NSR shortens the dis- shipping and logistics aimed at tance of traditional shipping Norway, the Northern and Arctic routes through the Suez Canal to regions and East-West cargo trade China by around 40%. This new and on projects involving the High route can generate significant sav- North, Russia, the Baltic and CIS ings for cargo- and ship-owners countries. with reduced fuel consumption, Tschudi has significant assets and trans port ation time and emissions activity in northern Norway, including and should be of particular interest for port and cargo-handling facilities, aggre- the mining, metal and oil industries in gates product ion, logistics, trans-shipment the northern regions. and real estate. Activity has increased annually since the As a port and terminal owner with its exist- opening of the passage in 2010; in 2013, 71 ing infrastructure in Kirkenes, including stor- vessels chose this route to or from the East. age capacity of around 370,000m3, Tschudi Tschudi’s interest in the High North started Tschudi has an ownership interest in Arctic has the possibility to trans-ship bulk cargoes in the early 1990s. However, it was not until Bulk AG and our team, in close co-operation imported with Handysize vessels and 2006 – when Tschudi Shipping Company AS with Atomflot and the NSR Authorities, will exported with Panamax and small Capesize acquired Sydvaranger AS, which had mined identify cargoes and facilitate the transit of vessels. Oil trans-shipment is now carried out iron ore in the region from 1910 to 1996 – vessels through the NSR. The NSR is still, how- in Honningsvåg (near North Cape) by Tschudi that the company made its main entry to ever, a ‘niche’ with limited opportunities due Arctic Transit. Large volumes with a high Kirkenes and the region. to market conditions; varying ice conditions; frequency can be handled; in a recent con- Since then, Tschudi has been actively the short ice-free season; and the availability tract, over 5Mt of crude oil from Russia were involved in the development of the mine and of ice-class tonnage. Hence, the number of trans-shipped. the port facility. Focus is also on the develop- shipments significantly dropped in 2014. Tschudi also exports aggregate (gneissic ment of Kirkenes Industrial Area (KILA) as The Tschudi Group, with a significant pres- wall rock) from the Sydvaranger iron-ore Tschudi has the ambition for Kirkenes to ence in the High North, broad experience mine. Deliveries have been for offshore proj- become an important port in Norway and and an open mind, will continue to be an ects, road construction, rail and road mainte- the Arctic. important solution provider and initiator for nance and for use in concrete and general The plan is to transform this 1 million m2 business development in this region. construction work in north area into a Norway and in Russia. western

Tschudi Aggregates loading in the harbour at Kirkenes. Top: sketch map showing the Northern Sea Route from N Europe to Asia Sources: Tschudi Shipping

February 2015 Mining Journal special publication – Norway 19

02-20_Norway_2015.indd 19 02/02/2015 14:52 The northern coast of Troms county in N Norway, seen from Reinfjord Photo: H Schiellerup

Geological Survey: services for industry

he Geological Survey of Norway drive west of Trondheim. The centre houses High-resolution helicopter and fixed-wing (NGU) (www.ngu.no) is a government 675,000m of core showing representative geophysical data cover 70% of North Norway, Tagency, part of the Ministry of Trade, sections through many of Norway’s most displayed on www.prospecting.no. Industry and Fisheries (NFD). NGU’s motto is important ore- and mineral deposits, and has NGU-Lab has a modern and well-main- ‘Geology for Society’ and the survey aims to good facilities for inspection of these. tained range of instruments for techniques serve the needs for geological information in NGU’s website gives an overview of the such as XRF, AAS, ICP-AES, HR-ICP-MS (with other ministries, regional and local govern- coverage of published maps of the bedrock laser ablation), noble gas mass spectrometry, ment, industry, and the general public. and surficial geology of Norway and of the combustion and grain size distribution analy- NGU has 228 employees, about 54% of extensive sets of geophysical data. The geo- sis, IC and XRD, as well as facilities for palaeo- whom are scientific personnel: 28 nationali- logical data are also available on-line as web magnetic and petrophysical measurements, ties are represented. NGU has extensive co- map services (WMS) and can be downloaded mineral separation, thin-section production, operation with countries in the Nordic and as shape-files. XRI (X-ray inspection of drill cores) and SEM Arctic regions and in Europe as a whole. Additional government funding (scanning electron microscopy). The Some 15% of NGU’s staff are involved in work since 2010 has led to a major increase laboratory is accredited according to on hard-rock mineral resources (inform ation in the coverage of high-resolution NS-EN ISO/IEC 17025. about deposits of metals, industrial minerals geophysical data, geochemical data, NGU has international-level exper- and dimension stone is available on the and targeted studies of ore provinces. tise in many fields relevant for the website: www.prospecting.no). North Norway has been prioritised mineral industry. NGU will be happy NGU manages the national drill-core cen- but a similar programme is now to assist companies interested in tre, housed at the old Løkken mine, an hour’s being implemented in South Norway. developing prospects in Norway.

Contact information:

Geological Survey of Norway Nordic Mining ASA NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway Munkedamsv. 45 A, NO-0250 Oslo, Norway Tel: +47-73 90 40 00 Fax: +47-73 92 16 20 Tel: +47 22 94 77 90 Fax: +47 22 94 77 91 Websites: www.ngu.no / www.prospecting.no Website: www.nordicmining.com E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

Directorate of Mining Nussir ASA PO Box 3021 Lade, NO-7441 Trondheim, Norway P. O. Box 40, NO-9621 Kvalsund, Norway Tel: +47 73 90 40 50 Fax: +47 73 92 14 80 Tel: +47 40 10 39 39 Website: www.dirmin.no Website: www.nussir.no E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

Norsk Bergindustri (Norwegian Mineral Industry) Store Norske Spitsbergen Næringslivets Hus, Middelthunsgt 27 Grubekompani Postboks/PO Box 7072 Majorstuen, N-0306 Oslo, Norway PO Box 613, NO-9171 Longyearbyen, Norway Tel: +47- 23 08 88 40 Fax: +47- 23 08 82 42 Tel: +47-79 02 52 00 Fax: +47-79 02 18 41 Website: www.norskbergindustri.no Website: www.snsk.no E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

Kodal Minerals Omya Hustadmarmor AS 35-39 Maddox Street, London W1S 2PP, UK Sjøvegen 69, NO-6440 Elnesvågen, Norway Tel: +44 20 3463 2260 Tel: +47 71267700 Fax: +47 71262904 Website: www.kodalminerals.com Website: www.omya.com E-mail: [email protected] Regiongeolog Sven Dahlgren Geological adviser Tschudi Shipping County Councils of Buskerud, Telemark and Vestfold Tschudi Shipping Company AS Tel: +47 333 44 000 Mob: +47 90 69 27 52 Tel: +47 67 11 98 94 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.tschudigroup.com

Leonhard Nilsen & Sønner AS (LNS) NO-8484 Risøyhamn, Norway Tel: +47 76 11 57 00 Fax: +47 76 11 57 01 Website: www.lns.no E-mail: [email protected]

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