The Mineral Industry of Norway in 2012
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2012 Minerals Yearbook NORWAY U.S. Department of the Interior February 2015 U.S. Geological Survey THE MINERAL INDUSTRY OF NORWAY By Harold R. Newman Norway’s diverse geologic terrain contains a broad spectrum and petroleum production decreased (table 1). Aggregates, of mineral resources for possible exploration and development, limestone, nepheline syenite, and sand and gravel were some of including metals, industrial minerals, and mineral fuels. Norway’s more economically important industrial mineral raw Norway’s mineral resources included coal, iron ore, natural materials. The country’s production of ilmenite accounted for gas, nickel, petroleum, sand and gravel, stone, and titanium. about 6% of world production (Bedinger, 2013). The mines and quarries were mostly of regional significance and were located mainly along the coast. The natural gas and Structure of the Mineral Industry petroleum fields were located mainly offshore in the Norwegian The Norwegian mineral industry was composed of a mixture area of the North Sea (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, 2012). of Government and privately owned operations. Table 2 lists the Minerals in the National Economy major mineral companies that were operating in Norway in 2012 and their respective mine and (or) plant locations and capacities. The country’s natural gas and petroleum industries have continued to contribute significantly to Norway’s national Commodity Review economy. In 2012, the petroleum sector accounted for the largest Metals portion of the country’s exports and about 26% of Government revenue. In anticipation of the eventual decrease in natural Cobalt, Copper, Gold, and Platinum-Group Metals.— gas and petroleum production, the Government was saving Nordic Mining ASA’s exploration efforts in northern Norway a significant amount of revenue from petroleum exports in a led to the discovery of magmatic mineralization in the sovereign wealth fund (SWF) valued at more than $700 billion. Lokkarfjord and the Reinfjord areas on the Øksfjord Peninsula Norway’s SWF was the second largest of all countries’ SWFs that contained cobalt, copper, gold, and platinum-group element after that of Luxembourg (U.S. Department of State, 2013). mineralization. The Øksfjord Peninsula is part of the Seiland Mineral Trade Igneous Province (SIP). The SIP shares many characteristics with other geologic formations that host deposits of copper, Even though Norway was not a member of the European nickel, and platinum-group elements, such as the Bushveld Union (EU), it participated in the EU’s internal economic Complex in South Africa, the Stillwater Complex in Montana, market, the European Economic Area. Mineral trade was and the Fennoscandian Suhanko and Penikat intrusions in important to the economy and, in terms of export value, Finland. The SIP had not been significantly explored for petroleum was Norway’s most significant mineral commodity minerals with commercial value (Nordic Mining ASA, 2012c). in 2012. Norway was the world’s seventh-ranked petroleum Store Norske Gull AS, which was a subsidiary of Store Norske exporter and the leading petroleum exporter in Western Europe. AS, was established to explore for gold on the Norwegian The country was the world’s fourth-ranked natural gas producer archipelago of Svalbard in the Arctic region. Store Norske and the world’s second-ranked exporter of natural gas after had an exploration license area that consisted of 457 claims Russia (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2012). in Finnmark County and 52 claims in Troms County on the The U.S. trade in goods with Norway in 2012 totaled mainland of Spitsberg. The company’s prospecting strategy $3,501 million in exports and $6,566 million in imports for included exploration for gold, nickel, and platinum-group a negative trade balance of $3,065 million. U.S. exports to elements (Store Norske Gull AS, 2012). Norway included petroleum products valued at $199 million; Arctic Gold AB of Sweden’s main exploration project in drilling and oilfield equipment, $172 million; coal and other northern Norway was the Bidjovagge gold prospect, which fuels, 93 million; fuel oil, $43 million; and finished metal contained about nine partially mined ore bodies. Historical shapes, $36 million. Norway’s total exports to the United States activity at Bidjovagge had discovered a mineral resource of included petroleum products valued at $1.8 billion; crude about 1.4 million metric tons (Mt) with reported grades of petroleum, $806 million; fuel oil, $550 million; liquefied 3.4 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold and 1.1% copper. Arctic petroleum gases, $346 million; and nickel, $201 million Gold was investigating the possibility of expanding the mineral (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012a, b). resources and proving an ore reserve that could be extracted using conventional methods (Arctic Gold AB, 2012). Production Iron Ore.—Northern Iron Ltd. of Australia acquired the Sydvaranger iron project in 2007 for the production of Norway produced various mineral commodities, including magnetite ore concentrate to supply the European market. The aluminum, cadmium, cobalt, copper, ferroalloys, nickel, project consisted of four magnetite iron deposits with Joint Ore steel, and zinc metals; it was a global supplier of aluminum, Reserves Committee (JORC)-compliant estimated resources at ferroalloys, and petroleum. Production of natural gas increased Bjørnevatn, Fisketind Øst, Kjellmann, and Tverrdalen. Northern in 2012, whereas production of primary aluminum, cobalt, NORWAy—2012 34.1 Iron had an additional 20 prospects with iron mineralization fluorspar was one of the 14 minerals that had a high supply risk located across a 12-kilometer (km) strike length. The Bjørnevatn (Ollett, 2012). Mine was in operation in 2012 and had a capacity of 2.8 million Silica.—Nordic Mining announced that it was planning metric tons per year (Mt/yr) with an estimated mine life of to produce high-quality quartz at its Nesodden deposit near 25 years (Northern Iron Ltd., 2012). Kvinnherad in western Norway. Nordic Mining was continuing Nickel.—First Point Minerals Corp. of Canada announced with detailed mapping of the deposit, which had estimated that it had acquired two properties—the Fera prospect and the mineral resources of 2.7 Mt of crystalline hydrothermal quartz Leka prospect—after its exploration efforts identified anomalous in a 12.6-km-long vein that reaches a depth of 150 meters (m). nickel occurrences. The Fera prospect is located about 300 km The quartz vein is situated in Proterozoic age rocks south of north of Oslo, covers 152 square kilometers (km2), and hosts the Hardanger Fault Zone (HFZ). The HFZ is a 600-km-long several variable-size ultramafic bodies. The largest ultramafic Caledonian ductile shear zone. The quartz vein is about body measures 3 by 5 km in area and hosts disseminated 600 m long and about 15 m wide with a depth of 150 m (Nordic awaruite, which is a naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy. The Mining ASA, 2012b). second property, the Leka prospect, is located 195 km north of Trondheim and is 39 km2 in area. The company discontinued Mineral Fuels exploration at the Leka prospect after a number of awaruite occurrences were determined not to be of economic significance The energy situation in Norway was characterized by an and reduced its holdings at the Fera prospect. As of yearend abundance of two forms of energy: hydroelectric power and 2012, the company had retained a 100% interest in seven mineral fuel resources. Hydroelectric power met most of the licenses over a 70 km2 area. Also, a comprehensive mapping and domestic demand for energy; mineral fuels were produced sampling program that started in mid-year 2012 was continuing mainly for export. Norway had a highly developed natural gas at yearend (First Point Minerals Corp., 2012). and petroleum sector. Natural gas production had been steadily Silver.—In 2012, Dalradian Resources Inc. of Canada was increasing, and petroleum production was on the decline continuing with its exploration programs in the northern and (table 1). Norway was the leading petroleum producer and the southern parts of Norway where Dalradian held exploration exporter in Western Europe. At yearend 2011, Norway had the licenses for 1.7 million hectares across three greenstone belts, largest petroleum reserves in Western Europe with estimated as well as an area that hosts a historic silver mining district. proven reserves of 5.3 billion barrels (Gbbl) (U.S. Energy Dalradian was engaged in data acquisition and analysis for Information Administration, 2012). all its concessions, and field programs were underway on The Government awarded 60 new production licenses to its Kautokeino and Kongsberg concession areas (Dalradian 42 companies in the latest Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) Resources Inc., 2012). licensing round. Companies were awarded 34 licenses in the Titanium.—In 2012, Nordic Mining was continuing with its North Sea, 22 licenses in the Norwegian Sea, and 4 licenses in proposed rutile mine development project at Engebøfjellet. The the Barents Sea. The licenses are situated in mature areas on the 2.5-km-long rutile-bearing eclogite body was reported to contain Norwegian Continental Shelf, where 27 of the 42 companies a mineral resource of 154 Mt of eclogite at an average grade were already operating. The overall APA area was expanded to of 3.8% rutile. The rutile is disseminated in the eclogite. The 196,625 km2 (Hovland, 2012). Engebøfjellet eclogite deposit is practically free from the usual Coal.—Store Norske Spitsbergen Grubekompani A/S (SNSG) occurrence of the radioactive elements thorium and uranium. continued to be Norway’s sole coal producer. The company’s The mining operation would be developed in two stages; first, two mines, the Gruve 7 Mine and the Svea Nord Mine, are as an open pit operation for a period of 10 to 15 years, and next, located on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, which is situated as an underground operation with a mine life of about 35 years.