Three futures for Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen, the ‘capital’ of Svalbard (or Spitsbergen as it is called by some), is a lively community that is now facing closure of its cornerstone-industry: coal mining. World market prices have plummeted, operating costs are high, and coal power is perhaps too much of a paradox for the Norwegian government priding itself on sustainable energy and environmental protection of the archipelago’s wilderness.