Mine 7, Longyearbyen, Svalbard

(Post 1 of 4)

Mine 7 must have one of the best views in the world. This mine provides all of the coal that runs the town, and there’s some left over for export. The total annual production is about 70,000 metric tonnes (compare to the only other Norwegian mine on Svalbard, called Svea, that produces between one and two million tonnes a year). On any given week day, there will be just a dozen miners underground here.
The shaft extends about six kilometers into the mountain behind us.