Population Boom in Svalbard for the Next Years ?

[Blod og Jord]

Population boom in Svalbard for the next years ?

Svalbard authorities are expecting a population increase of 10 to 20 percent for the next five to ten years in the archipelago.

The leader of Longyearbyen local municipality Kjell Mork told the Norwegian radio NRK that many more people will move to Svalbard for the next years.

Both UNIS, the university at Svalbard, and the tourism in the archipelago will expand. There are also plans to open a new coal mine to ensure further production to the Norwegian mining company SNSK - Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani.

Mining plays a major role in the community. SNSK runs two coal mines in Longyearbyen and Svea, and coal mining employs about half the residents.

Authorities in Svalbard are working on a new area development plan for Longyearbyen, which will decide the increase of Svalbard population for the next years.

Nevertheless the environmental organisation WWF is very critical to continued coal mining in Svalbard. To its opinion the mine production is in total conflict with the Governments environmental efforts.

http://www.svalbard-images.com/news/...the-next-years

[Kogen]

I thought it was actual population growth. This is not interesting.