NGU Focus No.

2 2012

FOCUS

Introduction

Mineral resources
in Norway 2011

The mineral and mining industry comprises companies involved in extraction and processing of minerals and rocks, from bedrock and/or superficial
deposits. Five main groups of materials can be distinguished:
Industrial minerals (e.g. calcium carbonate rock (marble and limestone), olivine, nepheline syenite, quartz and dolomite)
Natural and dimension stone (e.g. larvikite, granite, marble, slate/
flagstone and building stone)

PRODUCTION OF NORWAYS MOST IMPORTANT

MINERAL PRODUCTS

Building materials (sand, gravel, hard-rock aggregate, rock for ballast

and clay)

(2011, FOB MILL NOK)

AGGREGATE

Metallic ores (e. g. iron, nickel, molybdenum and ilmenite-titanium)

IRON

3820

Energy minerals (e. g. coal and peat)

CARBONATE

1819
1796

Construction materials

4672

Industrial minerals

2932

"

Metallic ores

2463

"

Coal and peat

1459

"

Natural stone

mill. NOK

"

922
Total

COAL

1406

12 448

mill. NOK

845

620
534
393
343
278

SAND AND GRAVEL

ILMENITE
NATURAL STONE

QUARTZ- QUARTZITE
OLIVINE
NEPHELINE SYENITE

256

SLATE/ FLAGSTONE

132

BUILDING STONE
DOLOMITE

65

Reference:
Produscers and NGU/Directorate of Mining
May 2012
P. R.N.

53

PEAT

GRAPHITE

34

23
NICKEL

FELDSPAR

18

TALC

CLAY

General overview

PRODUCTION OF NORWAYS MOST IMPORTANT

MINERAL PRODUCTS
(2011, mill. tonnes)
AGGREGATE
SAND OG GRAVEL

63.8
13.2

CARBONATE

STEIN

5.9
Construction materials

77.26 mill. tonnes

Industrial materials

10.41

"

Metallic ores

3.41

"

Coal and peat

1.74

"

0.90

"

Natural stone
Total

IRON

2.5

93.72 mill.tonnes

1.6

1.16
0.87
0.68

2.2

OLIVINE

COAL

QUARTZ/ QUARTZITE
ILMENITE

DOLOMITE

0.47 NATURAL STONE

0.34 BUILDING STONE
0.33

NEPHELINE SYENITE

0.19
CLAY
Reference:
Produscers and NGU/Directorate of Mining
May 2012
P. R.N.

PEAT

0.10

0.088

FELDSPAR

0.025 0.007

SLATE/
FLAGSTONE

NICKEL

GRAPHITE
0.008 0.0008

TALC

All of the above materials are essential for everyday life: modern society cannot exist without using mineral raw materials such as iron ore for production
of steel, limestone for cement and paper, aggregate for road building, sand
and gravel for concrete, and coal for metallurgical processes and for energy
production. Per capita annual consumption of minerals and mineral products in 2011 amounted to 13 metric tonnes, which over an average lifetime,
adds up to c. 1,000 tonnes/person. Production data from mineral producers
were collected by the Directorate of Mining (DMF) and the Geological Survey
of Norway ( NGU).

Approximately 94 million tonnes of mineral resources were extracted in

Norway in 2011, representing a total value of NOK 12,400 million. Turnover
of industrial minerals was NOK 2,900 million, natural stone NOK 922 million, metallic ores NOK 2,500 million, gravel and hard-rock aggregate for the
building industry NOK 4,700 million, coal NOK 1,400 million and peat NOK
53 million.
The total export value for the industry in 2011 was NOK 7,400 million, representing 60 % of the overall turnover. The export value for industrial minerals was NOK 2,300 million, of which calcium carbonate slurry, olivine and
nepheline syenite are the most important products. The natural stone industry exported stone blocks for NOK 521 million (of which NOK 424 million
relates to larvikite), and slate/flagstone and building stone for NOK 51,500
million. Similar data for hard-rock aggregate, rock for ballast and gravel have

Mining and quarrying

industry in 2011
Extraction of various mineral resources:

94 million tonnes
Production value:

12,400 million NOK

1550 million EUR
Export:

an export value of NOK 1009 million, whereas exports from ore production amounted to NOK 2,200 million, consisting of ilmenite, iron and nickel.
Finally, export of coal to Europe represented a value of NOK 1,300 million.
The mining and quarrying industry is a typical regional industry, especially
strongly represented along the coast.
The industry employs about 6,039 full-time employees at a total of 1000
producing quarries/mines. Measured according to turnover, the most important mineral-producing counties are Mre og Romsdal, Rogaland, Finnmark,
Nordland and Vestfold.

7,500 million NOK

938 million EUR
60 per cent
Number of aggregate companies:

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Number of employees:

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CONTACT

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E-mail: peer.neeb@ngu.no
Phone: +47 73 90 41 62

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Tom Heldal
E-mail: tom.heldal@ngu.no

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Phone: +47 73 90 42 05

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Director of Georesources

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E-mail: rolv.dahl@ngu.no
Phone: +47 73 90 43 08

NGU-Geological Survey of Norway

Postbox 6315 Sluppen
NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
Phone: +47 73 90 40 00
Fax: +47 73 92 16 20

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Team leader, Natural construction Materials

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Visiting address:
Leiv Eirikssons vei 39
e-mail: ngu@ngu.no
ngu.no

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Rolv Dahl

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Scientist

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Peer-Richard neeb

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