HI GUYS! I have read all the comments and i am honored and proud for all your good wishes and comments. I see there is a lot of questions about mine and the other miners future. We are about 70 people working in the mine and most of us will be out of a job when the Mine closes. We end production in July 2025 and then we will spend a year dissmanteling the Mine. So in 2026 we are all done. Most of us, me included has to look for a job elsewhere when we are done. By that i mean finding a job somewhere in Norway or the world. It will have an impact on town when we close. 70 people with familys will be affected. But we are proud Miners and we will do our job as safe and as good as we can until it closes. Take care all you lovely people. Bent Jakobsen
@@BentJakobsen-h7x This is sad but we hope for a better future for you and for other miners as well. Be safe guys. Nice meeting you all. Sending best wishes and prayers from the 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭
I'm sorry to hear it's affecting you all so much! I hope everyone lands on there feet somewhere they also enjoy, and I am very interested to see how this ends up affecting Longyearben over time
Thank you to Bent for showing us all the coal mine in Svalbard. This was very interesting! Only a handful of people have ever seen the mine and what an amazing way to immortalize it before it closes for good. Cecilia you have single handedly put Svalbard on the map in so many ways (at least for this generation). So many things none of us would ever get to see and appreciate. ❤️
Mine 3 closed years ago, but has been repurposed as a tourist attraction. You can do a tour and even crawl down a shaft in the overalls provided, should you wish. Definitely worth a visit if you get to Svalbard.
I was going to comment but Holly you've said it so well ! Thank you Cecilia for sharing this incredible tour with us!! xoxo Cella & Sugar ~ all the way from cold and snowy NE Wisconsin ;-)
This was so interesting. Thank you for taking us there. What is wild to me is that a guy like Bent born and raised in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, working down a mine, speaks incredible English. There are plenty of English people who couldn’t have explained all of that as eloquently as him in their own language. You Scandis have an amazing education system.
It is likely somewhat due to how similar English and Scandinavian languages are. They are closely related and the parent language of English is the same parent language of Scandinavian languages from only about 2000 years ago
I worked for 43 years in the coal mines in West Virginia USA. I have been retired for 13 years. I found this video to be extremely educational in how coal mines in your country produceces coal. I also enjoy your videos of how people live in such a cold environment. Thank you for the videos.
@@fredrikmeier8168 I worked underground coal for 45 years in the South West part of Virginia. Coal seam height ranges form 30 inches to 6 foot. The equipment they were using was exactly the same that we used, Joy miner and shuttle cars. They didn't show the bolter but I would say it similar to what we used. All equipment in the face area is electrically powered. Miner voltage was 995 shuttle cars, bolters and feeder were 600 volts. We used the exact tracking system and life line for escape. Belt conveyer was the same also. The only difference was no break room, you chocked your lunch down if and when you got a chance lol. I hope this answered your question.
Wow! Big respect to those men in Longyearbyen and all over the world who labor in mines in cramped, dark conditions under the earth. May God bless them & keep them safe 😊
As a descendant of 3 generations of Welsh coal miners I found this fascinating and I think my great grandfather would have marveled at the way things are done now! Where I grew up there were many mines producing the best quality steam coal and sometimes hand hewn from seams as narrow as 80cm! It's all gone now and although there is still a lot of nostalgia for those times life and work are safer. My great grandfather, grandfather and uncle all died from coal on the lung. When I was a child there were even a few ponies still being used underground to haul coal.
This is so interesting. I used to work in an underground gold mine and the differences to a coal mine is greater than I thought. Thank you Bent for giving us all a tour of the mine and teaching us all more about how we get the coal we use.
It’s a bit sad to see these mines closing. After the years they have been there. I’m always sorry to see mines close. I’ve seen this happen a lot where I live. I live in South Wales UK where we had hundreds of mines and now we don’t have one. ATB to these guys.
A claustrophobics nightmare fuel! Absolutely fascinating to see this. The employees of this mine are incredible as it is important and dangerous work. Thank you to you both and to the employees for allowing us an inside glimpse!
Yes! I have to control myself in an MRI machine. I'm getting clausty watching this, but epecially when the cart goes under a dip in the ceiling. I've had actual claustrophobic nightmares.
Thank you for cataloging this very important part of Longyearbyen's history! Fascinating! A bit claustrophobic, so it required patience for me to watch. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, GIRL! YOU ARE FEARLESS!!!!❤
@@CeciliaBlomdahlwonderful video! Very informative to see! Now that the mine will have no more usable coal and shuts down what are the minors like Bent doing after its done? Are there more jobs of this nature or in trades there for these men?
Wow ! My neck hurts just watching . It’s amazing how the staff endure this job . Hats off to the men of Gruve 7👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻Thanks for taking us along 😘PS the closest to a mine I’ve been in ,was the Snow White ride at Disney lol !
I don’t usually comment on videos but I had to say how interesting and informative this video was! Thanks so much for showing this to us and thank you to your friend and all the miners for allowing you access to somewhere most people don’t get to see!
Hey Cecilia, i just have to say i LOVE the variety of your content. The cozy vlogs, cooking with Christoffer, going on trips. But especially everything that you show us about Svalbard. You watch the world with such a positive sparkle and i‘m more than happy to continue watching your new upload every sunday, just like I did the last years. 😊🤎
I admire Cecilia's enthusiasm for things out of my nightmares, like going kilometres underground or staying in a wilderness cabin covered in spikes surrounded by polar bears (love this channel, I watch everything)
While watching this very brave visit into the depths of the earth, I feel very deep gratitude for those who do this every single day. What an enlightening view of a world that we seldom see.
My husband worked in coal mines in Aust for 35+ years and I too worked admin for coal companies and mines rescue. I’ve been underground a few times but only into longwall systems with coal faces of about 50 to 75m long and the ground collapses behind it as the coal is extracted. It was fascinating to see the differences and similarities, safety is always on a miner’s mind. Cecelia you did an amazing job sharing the story of the mine and the men working it
Thank you Cecilia! My grandfather, who past away last year, used to work at a mine in Spitsbergen (he was from Soviet Union), and I found a few photos he took of the mountains. My grandmother also said that he used to bring her dried wildflowers after spring. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for all you share, because it makes me feel connected to him :)
I come from a long line of coal miners, grandfather, cousins Uncles, in laws. It’s safer than it used to be, but not safe. These men deserve all the recognition in the world! Thanks Cecilia!
So THAT's why! I keep comparing your community to the one my son lives in, Red Lake Ontario Canada. It's a semi remote gold mining and natural research community of about the same population as Svalbard. Your community looks modern, well kept, and the "touristy" offerings are small but really attractive. My son's town looks aging, the housing stock is mainly multiply renovated 1950s and 60s buildings, and the town has lots of messy corners I associate with northern mining towns. (You have some too, but even your messes are tidy!) Your grocery store was surprisingly big and well stocked, unlike Red Lake's poky building and more limited stock. Both town have some of the same features, the boom and bust of mining, costs of shipping remotely, the isolation... The difference is who has control of the mine, and who invests in the town. The role of your government has completely changed the picture, so that your lifestyle is much closer to your country's mainstream. Canada and Norway have some political similarities, but Norway has made some decisions about quality of life that sets you apart. Thank you for this mining story, it answered a real puzzle!!
It is so sad video for me. They are truly heroes. So catastrophic and dark place to work. So hard to believe they do this job still today. They all deserve to respect.
I live in Kentucky so I’m very familiar with coal mining as Kentucky used to be a huge producer of coal. I love your channel Cecilia and watch your videos with a feeling of privilege to learn about your part of the world. The men who choose to do this as their job are exceptionally brave individuals and I cannot express how much I respect them. Thanks for showing those in your world the dangerous job of coal mining.
This has been THE most interesting video I have ever had the pleasure of watching. Thank you Cecilia and all those who allowed us to have this experience by taking us right into the mine and the the explanation of everything was so interesting and so well presented. What an awesome experience.
I have such a deep respect for the people who work in mines( anykind). This mine has safety procedures and technology. How many people work in sub-standard conditions just to keep out a living. This was enlightening. Thank you .
My late father worked in the coal mines in West Virginia (US) as a young man. It was not for him. He became a mechanic, and he forbade my brother and I to work in the mines. It's a tough life. Thank you to the men around the world who dig coal.
Not only entertaining but fascinating and educational. Learned so much about Longyearbyen’s history. Thank you to Bent for allowing you to film so we could see this other part of this world. Already fascinated with your location but a coal mine in the Arctic is another level baffling. Also blown away when he said at 17:12 that the coals could be palm trees before turning into coal! 😮 Thank you so much Cecilia for doing this video. ❤
Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU! Please thank Bent Jakobsen for taking us on a tour of the coal mine! This was definitely a huge surprise from your normal Sunday content Cecilia! Not only did you give us the wide view of the situation, you took the time to focus in on the small details of what coal looks like and why the mine is closing. You're really getting good at this! I have so many questions though! Of the current 2500 permanent residence living in Longyearbyn, how many will be leaving once the mine closes because their jobs have come to an end? When your friend, I believe you said his name is Ollie, his two week shift is over, does he live and stay on Svalbard or does he fly back to mainland Norway to have his days off? Looking around Svalbard at all of the abandon mining sites, will Longyearbyn be able to survive as a community with just the educational facility, the ESA satellite station and the fair weather tourist industry once the coal mine closes?
Bent is VERY handsome ☺️, and even he could not convince me to go on this tour! Once you switched to the kart of decapitation, I would nope the hell back to the real truck With that said, I loved the video, it was incredibly fascinating!!I have a tremendous amount of respect for the men and women who do this type of work
OMGosh I love all your videos Cecilia but, this is one of the best you’ve done! I really love to see all kinds of different types of work and have never seen mining before. I can’t believe how much machinery is in there! Thank Bent for all the information, that was a great tour!
I went into a mine when i was 5 years old. The miners hat was so big it kept falling onto my face. I can still remember the darkness when the tour guide told us to turn off the head lamps. Thank you for the video, It Was awesome.
We need to get our of our own bubbles. There are so many iives that go essentially unchanged by political cycles, but are yet everyday suffering from poverty, loneliness, and other difficulties. Look to work you can do on your local level, it makes a much greater difference than just watching and worrying.
@ I agree. No use in worrying about things out of our control. But I am referring to the culture here, outside of the election and politics. I live in a major city so I use this channel as an escape since I am not able to just pack up and move.
Fascinating overview of the Longyearbyen few tourists, and even the locals, ever see. I was in Longyearbyen in 2023 and knew of Gruva #7 but never imagine the enormity of the operation. The brief history of Sveagruva was also nicely done and deserving of a video unto itself. It was hard to believe that people could live so far north in a place so far removed from the outside world. My hats off to the hardy souls who work in an underground world of cold and darkness. It's a shame that these folks will lose the only job some of them ever knew.
As others have commented, this video is next level! Thank you for sharing this rare glimpse into the coal mining industry in Svalbard. I live in Nova Scotia 🇨🇦 where there a long and tragic history of coal mining.
What an amazing video!! My father and both of my grandpas were underground coal miners in KY! It is a hard and dangerous job! I give my respect to the men that work long dangerous hours underground! May God protect them!
I am a geologist and I found this really fascinating. I come from Germany, where we had a lot of very deep coal mines. There the temperature were quite hot.
I did my university project on the power station in Longyearbyen. The managers allowed my friend and I access. The power station has to increase power every time the tunnel boring machine is used which we saw in real time. The power station also had an issue while we were there meaning everyone had to be evacuated in a cloud in smoke! A great day out and the project scored us top marks!
Why did they stopped using coal for local powerplant when instead they must import diesel? Is it just "clean energy" politics or has it some logical sense?
As someone from Appalachia, it's always interesting to learn about coal mining. The engineering history is amazing! I'm not sad to see it phased out for more environmentally friendly alternatives, though. Great video!
My father was in mines all over the US Worked for the US Bureau of mines then it became the CDC NIOSH and worked in the dust lab. Would have lots of stories about cutting low coal , the continuous miner , self rescuers, riding to the face and stories about roof collapses. Scary hard work.
Cecilia - I purchased your book off Amazon and it’s just come in. Oh my GOODNESS, I’ve been enjoying every single page! What a gorgeous book, full of stories and wonders. Truly loving every second of it!❤
My father and my grandfather and relatives were coal miners in the 1920’s-1960’s. They were in Beaverdale, Pennsylvania in the US. One of my uncles lost his leg from the coal train running over him. My father started in the coal mine at age 11. It was a difficult and terribly dangerous job that was necessary for their survival in their village. Thank you for your trip down under. It brought back many of the stories my dad and family told me. Love you. ❤
It must be rare to find someone born and raised in Svalbard considering the policy of sending people to the mainland. Edit: the miner interviewed said he was born on the sland for those who keep posting 'you can't be born on the island'
@ubiquitousdiabolus ...watch the video?? The miner who took us down the mine was born and raised in Svalbard and he's easily in his mid to late-fifties.
@@21ineska the miner who they interviewed was born on the island, he was born before the rule of sending mothers to the mainland came into effect. which is why I said "it must be rare to meet one" ... because they did meet one... lol
Thank you so much for this! My bf has worked in a copper mine here in AZ for 19 yrs. He's currently working in the labs, big I've never been able to actually understand the whole process so this really opened my eyes!
My Great Uncle was a miner in Germany. He did pass away fairly young of the lung disease Miners can get. Can't really remember if he already was retired or not. Could be like about 30 or so years ago. Time flys...I been in the states for over 30. What an adventure. Thanks for taking us with you.
Fascinating! My dad's forebears were coal miners who came to New Zealand from the UK, Channel Islands and Switzerland to mine. Some of his forebears were gold miners too. After the Pike River disaster here in New Zealand in 2009 where 29 miners lost their lives the risks involved in coal mining can't be overstated. Thank you for this, Cecilia. Absolutely fascinating.
Thank you so much for documenting this mine!!!! This was amazing to see how the mining is conducted!!!! God bless all of the miners past and present. I cannot thank you enough for this video!!!! AMAZING!!!! 10 hours a day blows my mind. The miners are so brave!!!!!
Thank you for sharing the “not so glamorous” parts of life on Svalbard. I love learning about all the different aspects of life there! Oh! I almost forgot! I bought your book, it’s beautiful! 💙
This is a job I could not do. Major respect for that crew, plus Cecilia and Christoffer. As Bent said, "This job is not for everyone." Some of the camera angles must have been a real challenge, also. I started watching and couldn't stop. Just an amazing video.
Such a scary, claustrophobic work environment. It makes you respect miners SO much. My grandfather was an immigrant from Slovenia to the US and was a coal miner here in south/central Illinois. Such hard, dangerous work that he stressed to my dad that college was mandatory. My grandfather was not going to let my dad be a miner, and my dad did go to college on sports scholarships because they were so poor. My dad obtained his PH.D . Ironically I now live in a small community where our school mascot is The Miners! Coal mines in many small towns in our area back in the day...all closed down years ago. Great video!
That was so very interesting, Cecilia and Christofer. And, yes, thank you so much, Bent Jakobsen, for allowing the filmage and taking us all on such a fascinating tour with you. All the safety features were really impressive too. So well facilitated and run.
This was so interesting. Living in Cornwall, UK 🇬🇧, mining history is pretty much everywhere. I visited a tin and copper mine that originally closed in 1998 but is in the process of reopening. Seeing the difference between the types of geology and the extraction processes was great. (Tin and copper mines don't have so much black dust, but they can be very wet!) Thank you for posting x
My grandfather worked in the coal mines here in the State for over 30 years. I have the upmost respect for what they do. Thank you for bringing us along and sharing a glimpse of what they do daily.
Wow, just amazing how these people work. I sometimes complain about hard work and so on, but this is truly out of this world. These people have one of the hardest jobs one could ever have. Thank you for the video Cecilia!
Well, this episode brought a lot of memories from my own time as a miner in the Arctic, but not in Svalbard, but in the Black Angle Mine on the northwest coast of Greenland. Several of the Norwegian miners and some of the admins did come from Store Norske. Though we worked 12 h/6 d a week for 4 months and 1 month off and not as dangerous as a coal mine, we mined lead, zink, and silver. However, we had a couple of roof cave-ins due to the machinery thawing out the rock and then re-frozen, expanding cracks in the roof. One observation, though you said it was cold, there was not much ice on the walls. In the Black Angle, we had about 10 cm/4" of ice on the walls, and if it was a dormant part, it was like a crystal palace, while mined areas were more gray-white. Thanks for the guide tour.
This is so interesting! Growing up in the 60’s in Scotland we always used coal for our fires, I remember them dumping it at the side of the house, in those days all the streets were grey with coal dust.
This is so fascinating. My great grandfather was a coal miner starting early in childhood until he retired (and eventually passed away from black lung disease). My grandfather and his sisters were born and raised in company-owned housing in the small coal mining town in western Pennsylvania where their father worked and where most of my family still lives; though the housing is no longer owned by the mining company and most if not all of the mines have been closed. It's fascinating to hear the history of your little coal mining village in the arctic and compare it to the history/infrastructure of our coal mining towns here in the US.
Wow! Much respect to Bent, his team, you, and Christopher for bringing the important history of Svalbard mining to light! You guys are GOATs!! 🥰❤💜💖👐💪👏🥰😍😘❤💜💖
As someone who works in a coal mine in Australia, my mine has many similarities! You have made an excellent and accurate summary here, perfect for non miners to understand. Well done 😊
Wow, so amazing! My husband worked in an (underground) Potash Mine for 39 years, so I can relate to this video. I toured his mine almost every year he was there. I have the utmost respect for miners! Coal mining is different than Potash mining. For one, the ceiling height is much lower in a coal mine! I don't think I could handle working in a place I can't stand up. Thanks Cecilia for this video!! God Bless these brave & hard working coal miners!!
This is the best explanation of coal mining I’ve ever seen. My great great grandfather did coal mining in West Virginia after he came to America from Ireland. I didn’t know him and I’m sure the conditions at that time were way worse than what they are for these guys but it’s very cool to see the process here. Thank you very much! ❤
@@bainbridge568 "Low coal" in West Virginia refers to mining conditions that are less favorable, resulting in lower yields and higher costs per ton. In low coal mines, there is little room for error. In parts of southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky, miners work in small groups through portals that are less than 40 inches high to access seams that are just over 2 feet thick. This type of mining has become a family tradition for some miners.
Thrilling experience. I admire your courage to take this tour Cecilia Blomdahl and also your passion in documenting for the benefit of the world. Sincere thanks BentJakobsen and everyone who made this possible.
Fascinating! Much gratitude to Ben for sharing his knowledge and experience of the mine with us! Many thanks to Cecilia and Christoffer for putting together this great video! ☀️ Greetings to Everybody from Canada! 🇨🇦
I used to work in a nickel mine in Northern Ontario and I’ve never seen working conditions like that coal mine I wouldn’t have lasted a day in those working conditions bent over almost the whole shift. My hat goes off to those miners! What an awesome video Well done.
I love your content, Cecelia and there is no way I could go into the mountain the way you and Christopher did!! And Ben and all the the stalwart miners! I salute the brave people of Longyearbyen and of Svalbard. Truly amazing!
This video is top tier amazing ! Fascinating, I had replay it back. Lookin at other coal mines … longear had some good high quality coal ! I never seen coal that beautiful
I was just checking up on the news on CNN's website and saw that your book is in an article. Congratulations.... You deserve it for all the hard work you put into its creation.
10 hour shift with only 1 hour brake, wow thats hard labour. I’ve always wanted to see inside a working mine and thanks to you Cecilia and the powers at be, now I’ve seen it. Scary watching let alone being there. Thank you for sharing this incredible experience ❤
EXCELLENT! Really great video of what it is really like…..I worked for a coal company in Colorado, USA. Have been in coal mines in Colorado AND West Virginia, USA. What you are showing is the real deal. People generally have no idea what miners deal with every day. I was a Human Resources Manager in late 70s and early 1980s and was the first WOMAN in one of the West Virginia mines. What an experience. Kudos to you for going underground to see the tough conditions experienced by miners.
Very interesting video. 40 or 50 years ago no one understand the consequenses of burning coal for energy. Today we do. My mind is in overdrive now trying to figure out how coal was formed in the Artic many years ago. Cecilia thank you for sharing life in Svalbard with us. I a previous video the seed vault was also an experience for me. Keep up with the videos!
Unless we go nuclear, we will never have something completely better than coal or natural gas. Germany is burning coal again after shutting down it's nuclear plants and holy moly China is trying to compete with the Siberian traps in terms of how much they burn for power
Martha. My husband's grandfather and his mom came in 1925 from Italy too. They went through Ellis island. She was 18 months old when they arrived. His grandfather worked in Pennsylvania and West Virginia as a miner. My hubby has his old pic ax and shovel he used. Sadly, he died of black lung! ) :
Wow - I was not expecting a trip down into the working mine! I was completely riveted for the all too quickly over video. Being from Kentucky, I'm familiar with coal mining, and how things are done in the that mine was fascinating to me. I wondered why the mine was closing. Toward the end, he explained that it is just about mined out. I guess that's why Longyearbyen also switched to diesel - because the local coal is almost done. (Plus apparently this seam is only used in manufacturing applications). Your information and editing skills on this one remind me of your book. So interesting, clear and educational! Tusen takk!
This was amazing. I study Arctic energy, and just returned from Iceland where I went into a nerd conference about it. I used to live in the UP of Michigan (long mining history there), and now live in Alaska and work for an energy research lab. Everywhere I go, I visit energy infrastructure and mines. This video was right in my wheelhouse!
Very fascinating indeed! What will happen to the men's jobs when the mine closes, where will they go? Bent was quite the gentleman and I appreciated the tour.
What a great documentary! The big machines in those small short spaces.. it seemed like a scene from a scifi show. You shot it so beautifully! I was surprised at how quiet the scraper and offloading was. I expected earpiercing noises. Big thanks to Bent and crew! I hope they get to have this video as something to look at when the mine closes
HI GUYS! I have read all the comments and i am honored and proud for all your good wishes and comments. I see there is a lot of questions about mine and the other miners future. We are about 70 people working in the mine and most of us will be out of a job when the Mine closes. We end production in July 2025 and then we will spend a year dissmanteling the Mine. So in 2026 we are all done. Most of us, me included has to look for a job elsewhere when we are done. By that i mean finding a job somewhere in Norway or the world. It will have an impact on town when we close. 70 people with familys will be affected. But we are proud Miners and we will do our job as safe and as good as we can until it closes. Take care all you lovely people. Bent Jakobsen
@@BentJakobsen-h7x This is sad but we hope for a better future for you and for other miners as well. Be safe guys. Nice meeting you all. Sending best wishes and prayers from the 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭
I'm sorry to hear it's affecting you all so much! I hope everyone lands on there feet somewhere they also enjoy, and I am very interested to see how this ends up affecting Longyearben over time
I wish you all the best for the future, really sad news but it will open other doors. ❤🙏🏼
Deep respect for all the miners!
@@BentJakobsen-h7x The best of luck to you and your family and the miners!
Thank you to Bent for showing us all the coal mine in Svalbard. This was very interesting! Only a handful of people have ever seen the mine and what an amazing way to immortalize it before it closes for good. Cecilia you have single handedly put Svalbard on the map in so many ways (at least for this generation). So many things none of us would ever get to see and appreciate. ❤️
💯
Mine 3 closed years ago, but has been repurposed as a tourist attraction. You can do a tour and even crawl down a shaft in the overalls provided, should you wish. Definitely worth a visit if you get to Svalbard.
I was going to comment but Holly you've said it so well ! Thank you Cecilia for sharing this incredible tour with us!! xoxo Cella & Sugar ~ all the way from cold and snowy NE Wisconsin ;-)
I think Bent was having some fun with you going so fast on your way back out. What a good sport you are!
@sybilkent4913 i wonder what everyone will do when the mine closes ? Do people have other jobs on svalbard that they can still work and make money?
This was so interesting. Thank you for taking us there. What is wild to me is that a guy like Bent born and raised in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere, working down a mine, speaks incredible English. There are plenty of English people who couldn’t have explained all of that as eloquently as him in their own language. You Scandis have an amazing education system.
I'm Serbian and most of us speak 6 languages, we are fluent in English also even my parents.
@@Lilly-hh9es Seriously impressive.
I thought about the same thing!
It is likely somewhat due to how similar English and Scandinavian languages are. They are closely related and the parent language of English is the same parent language of Scandinavian languages from only about 2000 years ago
I worked for 43 years in the coal mines in West Virginia USA. I have been retired for 13 years. I found this video to be extremely educational in how coal mines in your country
produceces coal. I also enjoy your videos of how people live in such a cold environment. Thank you for the videos.
How would you compare the Svalbard mining equipment, technology and especially safety and working culture to where you worked in West Virginia?
Proud West Virginian here, I've never worked in a coal mine but I have much respect for those who have and are continuing to do so.
@@fredrikmeier8168 I worked underground coal for 45 years in the South West part of Virginia. Coal seam height ranges form 30 inches to 6 foot. The equipment they were using was exactly the same that we used, Joy miner and shuttle cars. They didn't show the bolter but I would say it similar to what we used. All equipment in the face area is electrically powered. Miner voltage was 995 shuttle cars, bolters and feeder were 600 volts. We used the exact tracking system and life line for escape. Belt conveyer was the same also. The only difference was no break room, you chocked your lunch down if and when you got a chance lol. I hope this answered your question.
@@Poppi49 hey former wv miner here to
Wow! Big respect to those men in Longyearbyen and all over the world who labor in mines in cramped, dark conditions under the earth. May God bless them & keep them safe 😊
Yes, huge respect!!
Hats off to the miners. They are amazing.
Hats off only metaphorically because we wouldn't want anything in the mines to hit their head.
Cecilia- this is an award- winning video. I felt like I was in the mine with you ! Awesome! We learn so much from you.
Agreed
I agreed to. So fascinating and interesting. Thanks so much.
Agree ..
Indeed! I couldn’t work there…. So claustrophobic…😮
@@elainemclaren3371agreed! Hi from the Polish rural life channe😊🐶
My grandfather was a coal miner and I have a whole new respect for the work he did.
Thank you for taking us along, Cecilia, before this historic mine closes in 2025.
As a descendant of 3 generations of Welsh coal miners I found this fascinating and I think my great grandfather would have marveled at the way things are done now! Where I grew up there were many mines producing the best quality steam coal and sometimes hand hewn from seams as narrow as 80cm! It's all gone now and although there is still a lot of nostalgia for those times life and work are safer. My great grandfather, grandfather and uncle all died from coal on the lung.
When I was a child there were even a few ponies still being used underground to haul coal.
It is wonderful that they allowed you to capture this for historical reference!
This is so interesting. I used to work in an underground gold mine and the differences to a coal mine is greater than I thought. Thank you Bent for giving us all a tour of the mine and teaching us all more about how we get the coal we use.
Am I the only ducking down on the couch watching Cecelia and Christopher riding the little cart down the mine? 😂 Again what an amazing video!
I didn’t duck, but my stomach has not been right since 😂
Same here 👀 and I even was afraid I was going to get my head hurt in the ceiling lol 🙈
Yes with saying omg!! wtf!! No way!! 😂
I found myself sliding down in my recliner😂
It’s a bit sad to see these mines closing. After the years they have been there. I’m always sorry to see mines close. I’ve seen this happen a lot where I live. I live in South Wales UK where we had hundreds of mines and now we don’t have one. ATB to these guys.
A claustrophobics nightmare fuel! Absolutely fascinating to see this. The employees of this mine are incredible as it is important and dangerous work. Thank you to you both and to the employees for allowing us an inside glimpse!
Yes! I have to control myself in an MRI machine. I'm getting clausty watching this, but epecially when the cart goes under a dip in the ceiling. I've had actual claustrophobic nightmares.
@@SBCBears Same 😬😉
Watching Cecilia is so relaxing and makes me feel more positive after a video. This one was a bit hard for me toobut so interesting!
I can't sleep in a tent that I can't stand up in. I'm sure the ceiling is lowering itself during the night trying to reduce my air supply.
Just saw the article about you on CNN! How exciting, we get to share you with the world now! Love you guys!!!
Thank you for cataloging this very important part of Longyearbyen's history! Fascinating! A bit claustrophobic, so it required patience for me to watch. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, GIRL! YOU ARE FEARLESS!!!!❤
Aw thanks, I appreciate that! 😊
Her zest for living is unmatched
@@CeciliaBlomdahlwonderful video! Very informative to see! Now that the mine will have no more usable coal and shuts down what are the minors like Bent doing after its done? Are there more jobs of this nature or in trades there for these men?
Hi are there diamond mines ?@@CeciliaBlomdahl
Very much respect to these workers doing jobs that not a lot of people could ever do!
Wow! Yes, huge thank you to Bent and the coal mine for allowing you both to go and film. It was fascinating!
Wow ! My neck hurts just watching . It’s amazing how the staff endure this job . Hats off to the men of Gruve 7👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻Thanks for taking us along 😘PS the closest to a mine I’ve been in ,was the Snow White ride at Disney lol !
I don’t usually comment on videos but I had to say how interesting and informative this video was! Thanks so much for showing this to us and thank you to your friend and all the miners for allowing you access to somewhere most people don’t get to see!
This was fascinating and should be submitted for an award!! You are a genius Cecilia!!
This isn’t the only documentary!
Hey Cecilia, i just have to say i LOVE the variety of your content. The cozy vlogs, cooking with Christoffer, going on trips. But especially everything that you show us about Svalbard. You watch the world with such a positive sparkle and i‘m more than happy to continue watching your new upload every sunday, just like I did the last years. 😊🤎
This is so well put!
I admire Cecilia's enthusiasm for things out of my nightmares, like going kilometres underground or staying in a wilderness cabin covered in spikes surrounded by polar bears (love this channel, I watch everything)
While watching this very brave visit into the depths of the earth, I feel very deep gratitude for those who do this every single day. What an enlightening view of a world that we seldom see.
My husband worked in coal mines in Aust for 35+ years and I too worked admin for coal companies and mines rescue. I’ve been underground a few times but only into longwall systems with coal faces of about 50 to 75m long and the ground collapses behind it as the coal is extracted. It was fascinating to see the differences and similarities, safety is always on a miner’s mind. Cecelia you did an amazing job sharing the story of the mine and the men working it
Thank you Cecilia! My grandfather, who past away last year, used to work at a mine in Spitsbergen (he was from Soviet Union), and I found a few photos he took of the mountains. My grandmother also said that he used to bring her dried wildflowers after spring.
Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for all you share, because it makes me feel connected to him :)
How many mines does the russians have left in Barentsburg, do you know?
Thank you for sharing your grandfather’s story with us. Precious personal memories we to which we can all relate.
I come from a long line of coal miners, grandfather, cousins Uncles, in laws. It’s safer than it used to be, but not safe. These men deserve all the recognition in the world! Thanks Cecilia!
Sunday morning with Cecilia and coffee = Perfection! ☕️🏔️❄️🫶🏽
🩵🩵
This was a fun one Cecilia! Thanks Bent! Loved learning. Bless these coal workers ❤️
So THAT's why! I keep comparing your community to the one my son lives in, Red Lake Ontario Canada. It's a semi remote gold mining and natural research community of about the same population as Svalbard. Your community looks modern, well kept, and the "touristy" offerings are small but really attractive. My son's town looks aging, the housing stock is mainly multiply renovated 1950s and 60s buildings, and the town has lots of messy corners I associate with northern mining towns. (You have some too, but even your messes are tidy!) Your grocery store was surprisingly big and well stocked, unlike Red Lake's poky building and more limited stock. Both town have some of the same features, the boom and bust of mining, costs of shipping remotely, the isolation... The difference is who has control of the mine, and who invests in the town. The role of your government has completely changed the picture, so that your lifestyle is much closer to your country's mainstream. Canada and Norway have some political similarities, but Norway has made some decisions about quality of life that sets you apart. Thank you for this mining story, it answered a real puzzle!!
It is so sad video for me. They are truly heroes. So catastrophic and dark place to work. So hard to believe they do this job still today. They all deserve to respect.
Fun fact - my parents met while both working in a coal mine in Kentucky. Very hard and dangerous job! Great to shed light on it.
No way!! Wow, that is so cool! Such a dangerous job!
My great uncle worked in a coal mine in Earlington, KY. Several relatives did that kind of work.
@@CeciliaBlomdahlwhat are parents
I live in Kentucky so I’m very familiar with coal mining as Kentucky used to be a huge producer of coal. I love your channel Cecilia and watch your videos with a feeling of privilege to learn about your part of the world. The men who choose to do this as their job are exceptionally brave individuals and I cannot express how much I respect them. Thanks for showing those in your world the dangerous job of coal mining.
This has been THE most interesting video I have ever had the pleasure of watching. Thank you Cecilia and all those who allowed us to have this experience by taking us right into the mine and the the explanation of everything was so interesting and so well presented. What an awesome experience.
I feel exactly the same! Cecilia knocked it out-of-the-PARK!
👏👏👏
I have such a deep respect for the people who work in mines( anykind). This mine has safety procedures and technology. How many people work in sub-standard conditions just to keep out a living. This was enlightening. Thank you .
My late father worked in the coal mines in West Virginia (US) as a young man. It was not for him. He became a mechanic, and he forbade my brother and I to work in the mines. It's a tough life. Thank you to the men around the world who dig coal.
My grandfather worked in a mine in Illinois, but it wasn't for him, either. He became a machinist, too.
Hey former wv miner here to
Not only entertaining but fascinating and educational. Learned so much about Longyearbyen’s history. Thank you to Bent for allowing you to film so we could see this other part of this world. Already fascinated with your location but a coal mine in the Arctic is another level baffling. Also blown away when he said at 17:12 that the coals could be palm trees before turning into coal! 😮 Thank you so much Cecilia for doing this video. ❤
Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU! Please thank Bent Jakobsen for taking us on a tour of the coal mine! This was definitely a huge surprise from your normal Sunday content Cecilia! Not only did you give us the wide view of the situation, you took the time to focus in on the small details of what coal looks like and why the mine is closing. You're really getting good at this! I have so many questions though! Of the current 2500 permanent residence living in Longyearbyn, how many will be leaving once the mine closes because their jobs have come to an end? When your friend, I believe you said his name is Ollie, his two week shift is over, does he live and stay on Svalbard or does he fly back to mainland Norway to have his days off? Looking around Svalbard at all of the abandon mining sites, will Longyearbyn be able to survive as a community with just the educational facility, the ESA satellite station and the fair weather tourist industry once the coal mine closes?
Bent is VERY handsome ☺️, and even he could not convince me to go on this tour! Once you switched to the kart of decapitation, I would nope the hell back to the real truck
With that said, I loved the video, it was incredibly fascinating!!I have a tremendous amount of respect for the men and women who do this type of work
I bet i could😊
@BentJakobsen-h7x I’m sure I would let you try 😉 but I bet you could teach me about your job above ground too…
@@chiatt26 i guess i could😊
@ certainly something we can negotiate in the off chance I find myself on Svalbard 😏 (although I would absolutely love that)
@@chiatt26 Be my guest😊
OMGosh I love all your videos Cecilia but, this is one of the best you’ve done! I really love to see all kinds of different types of work and have never seen mining before. I can’t believe how much machinery is in there! Thank Bent for all the information, that was a great tour!
Thank you so much! 😊 I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙏🏻
I went into a mine when i was 5 years old. The miners hat was so big it kept falling onto my face. I can still remember the darkness when the tour guide told us to turn off the head lamps. Thank you for the video, It Was awesome.
Your channel is an escape from the dystopian episode I wake up in everyday in the US 🫶🏼
I’m from SoCal & I hear you. Hopefully this nightmare will be over soon.
I am in CT, it is nerve wracking at this point.
We need to get our of our own bubbles. There are so many iives that go essentially unchanged by political cycles, but are yet everyday suffering from poverty, loneliness, and other difficulties. Look to work you can do on your local level, it makes a much greater difference than just watching and worrying.
@@sroman127yesss! Awful and crazy we have to worry! ) :
@ I agree. No use in worrying about things out of our control. But I am referring to the culture here, outside of the election and politics. I live in a major city so I use this channel as an escape since I am not able to just pack up and move.
Fascinating overview of the Longyearbyen few tourists, and even the locals, ever see. I was in Longyearbyen in 2023 and knew of Gruva #7 but never imagine the enormity of the operation. The brief history of Sveagruva was also nicely done and deserving of a video unto itself. It was hard to believe that people could live so far north in a place so far removed from the outside world. My hats off to the hardy souls who work in an underground world of cold and darkness. It's a shame that these folks will lose the only job some of them ever knew.
As others have commented, this video is next level! Thank you for sharing this rare glimpse into the coal mining industry in Svalbard. I live in Nova Scotia 🇨🇦 where there a long and tragic history of coal mining.
One of the most interesting videos you've ever done on your channel! Wow! Thank you!
What an amazing video!! My father and both of my grandpas were underground coal miners in KY! It is a hard and dangerous job! I give my respect to the men that work long dangerous hours underground! May God protect them!
For those not from the United States KY is Kentucky
I am a geologist and I found this really fascinating. I come from Germany, where we had a lot of very deep coal mines. There the temperature were quite hot.
I did my university project on the power station in Longyearbyen. The managers allowed my friend and I access. The power station has to increase power every time the tunnel boring machine is used which we saw in real time. The power station also had an issue while we were there meaning everyone had to be evacuated in a cloud in smoke! A great day out and the project scored us top marks!
Why did they stopped using coal for local powerplant when instead they must import diesel? Is it just "clean energy" politics or has it some logical sense?
@@WwarpfirewW They should rather import hydropower from the mainland.
As someone from Appalachia, it's always interesting to learn about coal mining. The engineering history is amazing! I'm not sad to see it phased out for more environmentally friendly alternatives, though. Great video!
My father was in mines all over the US Worked for the US Bureau of mines then it became the CDC NIOSH and worked in the dust lab. Would have lots of stories about cutting low coal , the continuous miner , self rescuers, riding to the face and stories about roof collapses. Scary hard work.
I am so glad that you conducted a tour of the mine. The mining has been such an unanswered question. Thank you Cecilia, Christofer and Bent.
Cecilia - I purchased your book off Amazon and it’s just come in. Oh my GOODNESS, I’ve been enjoying every single page! What a gorgeous book, full of stories and wonders. Truly loving every second of it!❤
Wow, thank you so so much!
My father and my grandfather and relatives were coal miners in the 1920’s-1960’s. They were in Beaverdale, Pennsylvania in the US. One of my uncles lost his leg from the coal train running over him. My father started in the coal mine at age 11. It was a difficult and terribly dangerous job that was necessary for their survival in their village. Thank you for your trip down under. It brought back many of the stories my dad and family told me. Love you. ❤
It must be rare to find someone born and raised in Svalbard considering the policy of sending people to the mainland.
Edit: the miner interviewed said he was born on the sland for those who keep posting 'you can't be born on the island'
Nobody is born on Svalbard. She mentioned in previous videos that you have to go to the mainland to gave birth
@ubiquitousdiabolus ...watch the video?? The miner who took us down the mine was born and raised in Svalbard and he's easily in his mid to late-fifties.
@@21ineska the miner who they interviewed was born on the island, he was born before the rule of sending mothers to the mainland came into effect. which is why I said "it must be rare to meet one" ... because they did meet one... lol
@@21ineska but he was born there before the airport was built. Go back and watch this video again.
@@21ineska They can't now, but he was born before that was put into place. He explained it in the video.
Thank you for showing us what it's like in the mine. My Uncles and ancestors were miners in England and I can only imagine how it was like for them. ❤
Thank you so much for this! My bf has worked in a copper mine here in AZ for 19 yrs. He's currently working in the labs, big I've never been able to actually understand the whole process so this really opened my eyes!
My Great Uncle was a miner in Germany. He did pass away fairly young of the lung disease Miners can get. Can't really remember if he already was retired or not. Could be like about 30 or so years ago. Time flys...I been in the states for over 30. What an adventure. Thanks for taking us with you.
What a great adventure! Cecilia never stops to surprise me 😍😍
Fascinating! My dad's forebears were coal miners who came to New Zealand from the UK, Channel Islands and Switzerland to mine. Some of his forebears were gold miners too.
After the Pike River disaster here in New Zealand in 2009 where 29 miners lost their lives the risks involved in coal mining can't be overstated. Thank you for this, Cecilia. Absolutely fascinating.
Thank you so much for documenting this mine!!!! This was amazing to see how the mining is conducted!!!! God bless all of the miners past and present. I cannot thank you enough for this video!!!! AMAZING!!!!
10 hours a day blows my mind. The miners are so brave!!!!!
I'm a little late to the party but that was so fascinating and interesting! Best wishes to Bent and all the other miners!
This is one of your best documentary vids yet, a good mix of entertainment and education.
A lunch room . . I worked in Longwall coal mines in England 1.5 mtrs seams, had “ our snap” on the wall . .
Enjoyed the video. . Thank you.
Thank you for sharing the “not so glamorous” parts of life on Svalbard. I love learning about all the different aspects of life there!
Oh! I almost forgot! I bought your book, it’s beautiful! 💙
Wow thank youuu! 🙏🏻
This is a job I could not do. Major respect for that crew, plus Cecilia and Christoffer. As Bent said, "This job is not for everyone." Some of the camera angles must have been a real challenge, also. I started watching and couldn't stop. Just an amazing video.
Such a scary, claustrophobic work environment. It makes you respect miners SO much. My grandfather was an immigrant from Slovenia to the US and was a coal miner here in south/central Illinois. Such hard, dangerous work that he stressed to my dad that college was mandatory. My grandfather was not going to let my dad be a miner, and my dad did go to college on sports scholarships because they were so poor. My dad obtained his PH.D . Ironically I now live in a small community where our school mascot is The Miners! Coal mines in many small towns in our area back in the day...all closed down years ago.
Great video!
That was so very interesting, Cecilia and Christofer. And, yes, thank you so much, Bent Jakobsen, for allowing the filmage and taking us all on such a fascinating tour with you. All the safety features were really impressive too. So well facilitated and run.
This was so interesting. Living in Cornwall, UK 🇬🇧, mining history is pretty much everywhere. I visited a tin and copper mine that originally closed in 1998 but is in the process of reopening. Seeing the difference between the types of geology and the extraction processes was great. (Tin and copper mines don't have so much black dust, but they can be very wet!)
Thank you for posting x
My grandfather worked in the coal mines here in the State for over 30 years. I have the upmost respect for what they do. Thank you for bringing us along and sharing a glimpse of what they do daily.
That was so freaking COOL! Thank you for the opportunity to join on this unique adventure!
I feel very privileged to have seen these men at work. All the safety measure are excellent. I wish all places had them.
Wow, just amazing how these people work. I sometimes complain about hard work and so on, but this is truly out of this world. These people have one of the hardest jobs one could ever have. Thank you for the video Cecilia!
Well, this episode brought a lot of memories from my own time as a miner in the Arctic, but not in Svalbard, but in the Black Angle Mine on the northwest coast of Greenland. Several of the Norwegian miners and some of the admins did come from Store Norske. Though we worked 12 h/6 d a week for 4 months and 1 month off and not as dangerous as a coal mine, we mined lead, zink, and silver. However, we had a couple of roof cave-ins due to the machinery thawing out the rock and then re-frozen, expanding cracks in the roof. One observation, though you said it was cold, there was not much ice on the walls. In the Black Angle, we had about 10 cm/4" of ice on the walls, and if it was a dormant part, it was like a crystal palace, while mined areas were more gray-white. Thanks for the guide tour.
This is so interesting! Growing up in the 60’s in Scotland we always used coal for our fires, I remember them dumping it at the side of the house, in those days all the streets were grey with coal dust.
This is so fascinating. My great grandfather was a coal miner starting early in childhood until he retired (and eventually passed away from black lung disease). My grandfather and his sisters were born and raised in company-owned housing in the small coal mining town in western Pennsylvania where their father worked and where most of my family still lives; though the housing is no longer owned by the mining company and most if not all of the mines have been closed. It's fascinating to hear the history of your little coal mining village in the arctic and compare it to the history/infrastructure of our coal mining towns here in the US.
Wow! Much respect to Bent, his team, you, and Christopher for bringing the important history of Svalbard mining to light! You guys are GOATs!! 🥰❤💜💖👐💪👏🥰😍😘❤💜💖
As someone who works in a coal mine in Australia, my mine has many similarities! You have made an excellent and accurate summary here, perfect for non miners to understand. Well done 😊
Wow, so amazing! My husband worked in an (underground) Potash Mine for 39 years, so I can relate to this video. I toured his mine almost every year he was there. I have the utmost respect for miners! Coal mining is different than Potash mining. For one, the ceiling height is much lower in a coal mine! I don't think I could handle working in a place I can't stand up. Thanks Cecilia for this video!! God Bless these brave & hard working coal miners!!
This is the best explanation of coal mining I’ve ever seen.
My great great grandfather did coal mining in West Virginia after he came to America from Ireland. I didn’t know him and I’m sure the conditions at that time were way worse than what they are for these guys but it’s very cool to see the process here.
Thank you very much! ❤
It was way worse I been there done that
This touches home. I live in West Virginia, USA, where 'low coal' is and has been for centuries mined.
What an education. Why is it called “low coal”? I’d like to learn. Thanks.
@@bainbridge568
"Low coal" in West Virginia refers to mining conditions that are less favorable, resulting in lower yields and higher costs per ton. In low coal mines, there is little room for error.
In parts of southern West Virginia and eastern Kentucky, miners work in small groups through portals that are less than 40 inches high to access seams that are just over 2 feet thick. This type of mining has become a family tradition for some miners.
@ Thank you so much!🙏
This sounds exponentially more difficult. Thank goodness we have folks still willing to do this work.
I have worked in that low coal in wv
Thrilling experience. I admire your courage to take this tour Cecilia Blomdahl and also your passion in documenting for the benefit of the world. Sincere thanks BentJakobsen and everyone who made this possible.
Fascinating! Much gratitude to Ben for sharing his knowledge and experience of the mine with us! Many thanks to
Cecilia and Christoffer for putting together this great video! ☀️ Greetings to Everybody from Canada! 🇨🇦
I used to work in a nickel mine in Northern Ontario and I’ve never seen working conditions like that coal mine
I wouldn’t have lasted a day in those working conditions bent over almost the whole shift. My hat goes off to those miners!
What an awesome video Well done.
I love your content, Cecelia and there is no way I could go into the mountain the way you and Christopher did!!
And Ben and all the the stalwart miners!
I salute the brave people of Longyearbyen and of Svalbard. Truly amazing!
This video is top tier amazing ! Fascinating, I had replay it back. Lookin at other coal mines … longear had some good high quality coal ! I never seen coal that beautiful
This is INCREDIBLE ! Thank you to you both and Ben for the visit and for taking us along.
Hello! I homeschool my children, and we love your channel! Everyone especially enjoyed this video and appreciate the miners for letting you film this.
You and Christopher are so brave to enter this confined space. I would be carried out on a stretcher if I was there!
I was just checking up on the news on CNN's website and saw that your book is in an article. Congratulations.... You deserve it for all the hard work you put into its creation.
10 hour shift with only 1 hour brake, wow thats hard labour. I’ve always wanted to see inside a working mine and thanks to you Cecilia and the powers at be, now I’ve seen it. Scary watching let alone being there. Thank you for sharing this incredible experience ❤
Most coal mines are not that nice
EXCELLENT! Really great video of what it is really like…..I worked for a coal company in Colorado, USA. Have been in coal mines in Colorado AND West Virginia, USA. What you are showing is the real deal. People generally have no idea what miners deal with every day. I was a Human Resources Manager in late 70s and early 1980s and was the first WOMAN in one of the West Virginia mines. What an experience. Kudos to you for going underground to see the tough conditions experienced by miners.
I worked with women in the mines in wv in the 70 s when it was a knew thing
Fellow Swede here living in tropical Mexico! It's so exotic to watch your videos 😍
Thank you! I'm so happy you enjoy them😊
Very interesting video. 40 or 50 years ago no one understand the consequenses of burning coal for energy. Today we do. My mind is in overdrive now trying to figure out how coal was formed in the Artic many years ago. Cecilia thank you for sharing life in Svalbard with us. I a previous video the seed vault was also an experience for me. Keep up with the videos!
Unless we go nuclear, we will never have something completely better than coal or natural gas. Germany is burning coal again after shutting down it's nuclear plants and holy moly China is trying to compete with the Siberian traps in terms of how much they burn for power
My husband’s grandfather emigrated from Italy in 1919 to Clarksburg, West Virginia, USA. He was a proud Coal Miner. Arsenal of Democracy
I’m sure he ate his share of pepperoni rolls 😊. Thanks to him and many others for his dedication and hard work.
Martha. My husband's grandfather and his mom came in 1925 from Italy too. They went through Ellis island. She was 18 months old when they arrived.
His grandfather worked in Pennsylvania and West Virginia as a miner. My hubby has his old pic ax and shovel he used. Sadly, he died of black lung! ) :
I live in the US and have relatives that work in the coal minds. Thank you to Bent for the tour and information. Very interesting.
Wow - I was not expecting a trip down into the working mine! I was completely riveted for the all too quickly over video. Being from Kentucky, I'm familiar with coal mining, and how things are done in the that mine was fascinating to me. I wondered why the mine was closing. Toward the end, he explained that it is just about mined out. I guess that's why Longyearbyen also switched to diesel - because the local coal is almost done. (Plus apparently this seam is only used in manufacturing applications).
Your information and editing skills on this one remind me of your book. So interesting, clear and educational! Tusen takk!
This was amazing. I study Arctic energy, and just returned from Iceland where I went into a nerd conference about it. I used to live in the UP of Michigan (long mining history there), and now live in Alaska and work for an energy research lab. Everywhere I go, I visit energy infrastructure and mines. This video was right in my wheelhouse!
Very fascinating indeed! What will happen to the men's jobs when the mine closes, where will they go? Bent was quite the gentleman and I appreciated the tour.
They won't have a job and the town will die like they did here in wv
@@djt8518, sad!
@@justmyopinion2 I went through this same thing in the 80s and it is sad
What a great documentary! The big machines in those small short spaces.. it seemed like a scene from a scifi show. You shot it so beautifully!
I was surprised at how quiet the scraper and offloading was. I expected earpiercing noises. Big thanks to Bent and crew! I hope they get to have this video as something to look at when the mine closes