Coal and the environment

The mining operations in Svea and Longyearbyen give rise to local emissions of approximately 50 000 tonnes of CO₂-equivalents. These figures form part of Norway’s Carbon Footprint Analysis. Transporting the coal by sea from Svalbard to our customers in Europe produces annual emissions of about 40 000 tonnes of CO₂-equivalents. By contrast, combusting the coal emits total to 5.5 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalents annually. These figures are calculated on the basis of Store Norske’s current annual production of two million tonnes.

Coal from Store Norske nevertheless causes lower emissions than coal from many comparable suppliers. The coal from Svea contains very little methane, a gas whose greenhouse effect is more than 20 times that of CO₂. The Svea mine is located adjacent to the loading port and is only a short distance to recipients in Europe, compared with other large exporters like South Africa, Australia and Colombia. The high energy content of the coal also boosts power stations’ energy efficiency, resulting in lower CO₂ emissions per kWh of electricity produced.

Mining, storing, loading and transporting the coal causes dust to escape. Annual discharges of coal dust are estimated at 100 grammes per tonne of coal, and primarily cause discolouration of the snow and the soil round the mines themselves. Coal is not classed as toxic, but contains substances which in large quantities and under given conditions can be harmful to organisms. These substances include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Independent studies show that PAHs are so highly bound to the coal dust that they are not taken up in the natural environment.