High North News - News, analysis and debate about politics and business in the North

Fra Bodø flystasjon

Possible Future Military Role for Bodø's New Airport

The Norwegian Ministry of Defense has decided to acquire options in Avinor's construction project so that the new airport in Bodø, Northern Norway, could potentially have a future military role.

Illustrasjon av SSABs nye stålverk i Luleå, Nord-Sverige

Steel Producer Receives Billion Grant for Green Transformation in Northern Sweden

The Swedish steel producer SSAB has been granted SEK 1.45 billion for the green transformation of its Luleå operations. The steel plant in the Northern Swedish city currently accounts for Sweden's largest carbon emission.

Russian Arctic LNG Carrier Out of Commission Following Maintenance Struggles, Underscores Key Role of EU Yards

Russia’s fleet of ice-capable LNG carriers keeps the gas flowing to Europe. But now one of the vessels, Christophe de Margerie, is out of commission as it struggles to receive maintenance and spare parts in European shipyards.

Notices

POLITICS / 11.12.2024

US to offer minimum acreage required at Alaska oil and gas auction

The Biden administration will offer oil and gas drilling leases in Alaska…

BUSINESS / 09.12.2024

Blue Lagoon reopens

After the last eruption in Iceland on November 20th, the Blue Lagoon had…

BUSINESS / 09.12.2024

Northvolt subsidiary's bankruptcy reveals huge debts

Northvolt Expansion's October bankruptcy left SEK 6.9 billion in debts,…

ARCTIC LIVING / 09.12.2024

Kiruna awarded European Capital of Culture title for 2029

On Friday, the northern Swedish mining town of Kiruna was named the…

Arne O. Holm says

Arne O. Holm

We Were Going to Save the Ocean and Free Ourselves From China, but Instead Ended Up in a Timeout

Comment: Norway's proposal to open up for deep-sea mining was never even close to being realized. Now, Norway may instead have been a door opener for a major Chinese attack on the same minerals. That does not serve the ocean nation of Norway well.

zooplankton GoNorth

Pharmaceuticals Pollute Arctic Marine Ecosystems

Scientists have found significant evidence of the presence and accumulation of pharmaceutical pollution in Arctic marine ecosystems. A new study shows that pharmaceutical pollution constitutes a significant threat to Arctic marine species and that the concentration and possible consequences of pharmaceuticals in the Arctic Ocean have not been researched enough.

På nyåret presenteres stumfilmen Med ackja och ren i Inka Läntas vinterland (By Sledge and Reindeer in Inka Länta's Winterland) med livemusikk under Tromsø internasjonale filmfestival. (Pressebilde)

To Show Silent Film from 1920s Sápmi With New Tunes

Sámi musicians will put the nearly 100-year-old silent film By Sledge and Reindeer in Inka Länta's Winterland from Northern Sweden into a new context. The silent film concert will be performed during January's Tromsø International Film Festival.

High North News investigates: The Russian Gas Flow

Jian Yang Cheng Xiang heavy lift carrier

Cargo Shipment from Belgium to Russia Highlights Continued Flow of LNG Technology from EU

A cargo delivery from Antwerp to Yamal LNG plant raises questions about the…

Also see

Trump Presidency Could be Good News for Russia’s Arctic LNG Projects, Though Exact Policy Shift Hard to Predict

Arctic LNG 2 Facing Vessel Shortage as Zvezda Shipyard Delays Delivery, Japanese MOL Exits Charter Contract

LNG Carriers, Oil Tankers and Container Ships Race to Beat the Winter Ice on the Northern Sea Route

Belgium Pushes For Creation of EU-Wide Tracking System for Russian LNG

zvezda scf vessel arc7

Russian Sovcomflot to Operate Sanctioned Zvezda Arc7 LNG Carrier for Arctic LNG 2

Despite mounting Western sanctions Russia’s largest shipping company Sovcomflot…

Höegh Esperanza floating LNG import ship at Germany’s Wilhelmshaven LNG terminal.

Germany Rejects Vessel Carrying Russian Arctic LNG, But Continues Indirect Imports Via EU Neighbors

Germany’s Ministry of the Economy instructed a state-owned liquefied natural gas…

von der leyen

European Commission’s Von Der Leyen Suggests EU Could Replace Russian LNG with U.S. Supply

Political discussions surrounding EU’s imports of Russian liquefied natural gas…

Ice floes in the Arctic Ocean on the west side of Greenland

The First Ice-Free Day in the Arctic Ocean Could Occur Before 2030, Says Researchers

Researchers have now given the first projections of when the first ice-free September day in the Arctic Ocean could occur. Based on simulations, researchers say that the first ice-free day could occur before 2030.

Et amerikansk B-52 bombefly flyr over Bergen på vei nordover for trening med norske og britiske styrker. (Foto: Jacob Cabanero/USAs luftforsvar)

US, UK and Norwegian Air Forces Exercise in the High North: F-35s Integrate With B-52

Fighters, bombers, and surveillance aircraft from the US, the UK, and Norway are now exercising to protect the High North. "The Arctic is a critical region for our collective security and global stability," says the commander of US Air Forces in Europe.

Jian Yang Cheng Xiang heavy lift carrier

Cargo Shipment from Belgium to Russia Highlights Continued Flow of LNG Technology from EU

A cargo delivery from Antwerp to Yamal LNG plant raises questions about the effectiveness of EU sanctions. The Antwerp shipment is part of a much larger problem; European companies have supplied more $600m worth of equipment to Russia since 2022.

Vinterbilde av Kirunas nye sentrum

The Arctic Mining City Kiruna Can Become the European Capital of Culture

On Friday, it will be decided whether Kiruna in Northern Sweden will be the European Capital of Culture in 2029. If so, it will be the third Arctic city to receive the title this decade.

Climate Change as a Threat Multiplier: “Directly Impacts Norwegian Security”

Researchers at the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment (FFI) have researched how climate change can function as a threat multiplier for security in the Arctic. They emphasize that uncertainty is the biggest security threat and that they cannot observe any major changes in the security situation in the north so far.

Arne O. Holm says

Arne O. Holm

I Am on the Border Between Norway and Russia – Searching for Hope

Comment (Skogfoss, Eastern Finnmark): This winter, I have once again traveled through border areas in international media's absolute margins. I am currently on the literal border with Russia. One step further would be one step too far. The border is here.

Amfibiekrigsskipet Lyme Bay

New Training Center for the Norwegian Armed Forces and Allies in Northern Norway

Sørreisa in Troms County in northern Norway will house an allied amphibious war center. This is a training facility where landing forces from the sea are practiced in close cooperation between land, sea, and air defense. Norwegian and allied forces will train together here in Arctic conditions.

Daglig leder Størker Bjørnstad i Nye Sulitjelma Gruver

Canadian Company to Acquire Ownership in Two North Norwegian Mining Companies

Blue Moon Metals acquires all the shares in the Northern Norwegian mining companies Nye Sulitjelma Gruver and Nussir. "This is big news," says general manager Størker Bjørnstad of Nye Sulitjelma Gruver to HNN.

Norge og Russland har siden 1970-tallet samhandlet om forvaltningen av felles fiskebestander i Barentshavet, som verdens største torskebestand – den nordøstarktiske torsken. Bestanden er imidlertid i tilbakegang, og nå er det norsk-russisk enighet om å fiske mindre av den til neste år. (Foto: Kjartan Mæstad/Havforskningsinstituttet)

The Faroe Island and Russia Reached a Fisheries Agreement for 2025

After digital negotiations, the Faroe Islands and Russia have now set next year's fishing quotas for Faroese waters and the Russian part of the Barents Sea. Both countries will have partly reduced and partly unchanged quotas.

Signerer ny intensjonsavtale som skal forenkle forflytning av militære styrker: (f.v.) Danmarks forsvarsminister Troels Lund Poulsen, Finlands forsvarsminister Antti Häkkänen, Martin Eyjólfsson, ekspedisjonssjef i Islands utenriksministerium, Norges forsvarsminister Bjørn Arild Gram og Sveriges forsvarsminister Pål Jonson. (Foto: Det danske forsvarsministeriet)

Nordic Defense Cooperation is Becoming Even More Tangible

The Nordic Ministers of Defense will strengthen operational cooperation, enhance military mobility, and initiate drone collaboration. "These measures concretize the Nordic countries' efforts to be able to carry out joint military operations if deterrence fails," says professor.

LKABs underjordsgruver

Swedish LKAB Postpones Fossil-Free Sponge Iron Production in Arctic Kiruna

The Swedish state-owned mining company LKAB has decided to slow the transition to fossil-free sponge iron production in the Northern Swedish town of Kiruna. The new plan will reduce the company's enormous electricity needs.

F.v: Svein Øien Eggesvik (Sp), fylkesrådsleder i Nordland; Hans-Jacob Bønå (H), fylkesordfører i Finnmark og Kristina Torbergsen (Ap), fylkesordfører i Troms. (Foto: Thor-Wiggo Skille/Nordland fylkeskommune; Karoline Sørensen Brandtzæg/Finnmark fylkeskommune; Victor Omma/Troms fylkeskommune)

Norwegian Regional Leaders: Seeks New Solution for Northern Nordic Cooperation

Finland is leaving the Barents Euro-Arctic Council, which also impacts the Barents Regional Council. A new form of cooperation that encompasses both regional and national levels should be created across the Cap of the North, believes the regional political leaders in Northern Norway.