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Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the narratives concerning past, present and imagined future of Longyearbyen’s energy system and the tension between different residents and actors. We consider how representations of the cultural identities are intertwined with narratives of the ongoing energy transition.

Paper long abstract:

Svalbard and the Longyearbyen community is facing dramatic climate change, as well as undergoing an energy transition from coal to temporary diesel and gradual increasing phase-in of renewables such as wind, PV and storage solutions.

In the Longyearbyen community the ongoing energy transition is intrinsically linked to Svalbard’s history as a coal producer and place identities of ‘mining towns’. The transition from coal has been ongoing for several years. However, the last mine (G7) is still in operation and the planned close-down extended due to new energy demand in the wake of the Russian aggression on Ukraine. In addition, the Longyearbyen community has changed into a site for government sector employment, tourist and research activities in line with Norwegian political strategies. In result several residents have experience from previous transitions while others only reside in the town for a few years.

This paper explores the narratives concerning past, present and imagined future of Longyearbyen’s energy system and the tension between different groups of residents and actors in framing these narratives. Related to this we consider how representations of the cultural identities of people at Svalbard, and in particular energy-workers, are intertwined with narratives of the ongoing energy transition.

We draw our findings from in-depth interviews and a survey conducted in Longyearbyen in summer/fall 2023. The article will apply narratives of 3-4 key informants as case-studies.